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Privacy Legislation and Regulation

Positions on Privacy Legislation

The Lawyers’ Committee supports the passage of comprehensive privacy legislation that prioritizes civil rights through anti-discrimination protections, algorithmic impact assessments, and strong enforcement. We routinely work with Congress to craft strong and workable bills. We have previously issued statements on several federal privacy bills, including:

American Data Privacy Protection Act of 2022

  • Op-ed in the L.A. Times, “The federal American Data Privacy and Protection Act protects everybody’s data”, July 28, 2022
  • Press release endorsing the bill, July 19, 2022
  • Testimony of David Brody before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, June 14, 2022
  • Letter from the Lawyers’ Committee and 58 other civil society organizations to Congressional leaders, “Support a Comprehensive Consumer Privacy Law that Safeguards Civil Rights Online”, May 26, 2022
  • Endorsement of the Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act of 2021 – press release
  • Endorsement of the Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act of 2019 – press release
  • Endorsement of the Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2019 – press release

Model Privacy Bill – “Online Civil Rights and Privacy Act of 2019”

The Lawyers’ Committee and Free Press wrote a model comprehensive federal privacy law that centers civil rights protections. The legislation is a comprehensive data protection act that builds on decades of civil rights law and experience. It includes sections about discriminatory practices and equal opportunity, unfair processing practices, deceptive processing practices, protection of personal information, and more.

  • Read the model bill here.
  • Read an explainer of the bill here.

Regulatory Comments and Advocacy

Comments Regarding Implementation of the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020

The Lawyers’ Committee submitted comments to the California Privacy Protection Agency regarding its implementation of the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (Proceeding No. 01-21). Submitted on Nov. 8, 2021, the comments urged the new agency to prohibit discriminatory uses of consumer data, implement data minimization requirements, and conduct robust oversight.

  • Read the comments here.

Comments in response to Request for Information on Financial Institutions’ Use of Artificial Intelligence, including Machine Learning

The Lawyers’ Committee submitted comments, along with other advocacy groups to the Request for Information and Comment by financial regulators regarding the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in financial services. Submitted on July 1, 2021, the comments inform the regulators that artificial intelligence models used by banks and lenders must be carefully designed, tested, and monitored to ensure they do not reinforce and amplify historic discrimination and redlining against Black Americans and other communities of color, according to comments submitted to several federal financial regulators.

  • Read our press release here.
  • Read the comments here.

Letters to Congress and the Executive Branch

The Digital Justice Initiative has led coalition letters calling for greater privacy and data protections, including:

Publications