American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) Must Include Online Civil Rights, Says the Federation of American Scientists
Require that personal data is processed safely and fairly
Washington, DC – June 27, 2024 – The Federation of American Scientists believes that the House Energy & Commerce Committee made the right decision in canceling its markup of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) today. Privacy laws are only effective if they include civil rights protections that ensure personal data is processed safely and fairly regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, or other protected characteristics.
“We believe that the United States needs federal data privacy laws, and despite the clear shortcomings of the latest version of APRA, we commend Chair McMorris Rodgers and Ranking Member Pallone for their leadership and efforts in advancing comprehensive privacy legislation. We hope the conversation on privacy doesn’t end here, and that new attempts to pass privacy legislation include the critical civil rights protections necessary to build trust across all communities participating in our data-based society,” says Dan Correa, CEO of Federation of American Scientists.
“The latest draft of APRA not only discards basic protections, but also baseline considerations for AI and other algorithms that would prevent data-based discrimination. If this draft became law, it would also undermine hard-fought privacy protections currently in effect in several states,” says Clara Langevin, AI Policy Specialist on FAS’s Emerging Technologies team.
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ABOUT FAS
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver dramatic progress, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to work on behalf of a safer, more equitable, and more peaceful world. More information at fas.org.
Congress should foster a more responsive and evidence-based ecosystem for GenAI-powered educational tools, ensuring that they are equitable, effective, and safe for all students.
Without independent research, we do not know if the AI systems that are being deployed today are safe or if they pose widespread risks that have yet to be discovered, including risks to U.S. national security.
Companies that store children’s voice recordings and use them for profit-driven applications without parental consent pose serious privacy threats to children and families.
Privacy laws are only effective if they include civil rights protections that ensure personal data is processed safely and fairly regardless of race, gender, sexuality, age, or other protected characteristics.