The Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society presents: “Privacy Law 2.0- Modernizing the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.”

In 1986 The Bangles were all the rage, mobile phones were bigger than your head, and the World Wide Web didn’t even exist. A lot has changed since then — but not electronic privacy law. Since its drafting in 1986, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) has become a patchwork of inadequate and confusing standards. This panel of attorneys from major technology companies, civil liberties organizations, and academia will discuss recent case law, the impact of an outdated ECPA on clients, business, the public, and government, and the broad-based coalition effort currently underway to modernize ECPA and better protect privacy and innovation in the 21st century.

The panelists are: Read more »

The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on “Consumer Online Privacy” on Tuesday, July 27, 2010. The witnesses are:

• Dr. Guy “Bud” Tribble, Vice President, Software Technology, Apple
• Mr. Bret Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, Facebook
• Dr. Alma Whitten, Privacy Engineering Lead, Google
• Mr. Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies, The Cato Institute
• Ms. Dorothy Atwood, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer, AT&T
• Professor Joe Turow, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania

Date: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
Location: Room 253, Russell Senate Office Building; Washington, D.C.
For more information: http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings

Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) has introduced a privacy bill (pdf) called the Best Practices Act of 2010. Rush is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. This bill comes a couple months after Congressman Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) — who are Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce — released a discussion draft of a new privacy bill.

Last month, Privacy Lives joined nine leading privacy and consumer organizations in calling for changes to the Boucher-Stearns bill, urging much stronger provisions to protect consumer privacy both online and off.

On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will hold a hearing on consumer privacy. “The hearing will examine H.R. ___, the BEST PRACTICES Act, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush, and a discussion draft, released by Reps. Boucher and Stearns, to require notice to and consent of an individual prior to the collection and disclosure of certain personal information relating to that individual.” Also, congressional staff has released a briefing memo (pdf) on the Rush bill.

Invited Witnesses: Read more »

From the Web site on “The Future of Speech on the Borderless Internet”:

A panel of leading cyberlawyers will discuss trans-national regulation and litigation of defamation, hate speech, indecency and political dissent.

Confirmed Speakers:

Danielle Citron, University of Maryland School of Law
Steve Sheinberg, Associate Director of Legal Affairs, Anti-Defamation League
Christopher Wolf, Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Chuck Cosson, Senior Policy Counsel, Microsoft
Mark MacCarthy, Communications, Culture & Technology department, Georgetown University
Adam Thierer, President, The Progress & Freedom Foundation (moderator)

Space is limited, so an RSVP is required to attend.

Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at noon ET
Location: Hogan Lovells; 555 13th Street NW; Washington, DC 20004
For more information: http://www.pff.org/events/Future_of_Speech/

From the Web site:

On Monday, July 12, 2010 ACS will host an evening reception with a welcome by ACS Executive Director Caroline Fredrickson, an introduction from AFL-CIO General Counsel Lynn Rhinehart, and featured remarks from Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez. AAG Perez will discuss policy issues important to the Division and will highlight efforts to strengthen civil rights enforcement around the country.

Following the program, The American Constitution Society invites you to join law students from across the nation and Washington lawyers from diverse practice areas for a reception in one of Washington’s truly special rooms. Make worthwhile new connections in the ACS network. See old friends and make new ones. Admire the historic mosaics in the Gompers Room. And enjoy a reception featuring tasty union-made refreshments. Read more »

The Cato Institute will hold a briefing on electronic privacy on Capitol Hill on Friday, May 21. From the Web site:

In 1986, Congress passed the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, a broad framework detailing how law enforcement could conduct surveillance on burgeoning digital communications networks. But the dawn of the Internet as a mass medium, the increasing ubiquity of location-sensitive mobile devices, and the explosive growth of cloud computing have radically changed the technological landscape since then. Yet the law remains largely stuck in the 80s, a 20th century legal operating system for 21st century communications — leaving courts unclear on questions as basic how much privacy protection e-mail enjoys. A broad coalition of technology firms and civil liberties groups is now seeking to update the law for the internet age and to lay out clear rules that reflect modern expectations of online privacy. With Congress slated to hold a series of hearings on ECPA reform in coming months, our panel will examine the problems with current law and the changes needed to provide effective surveillance tools for law enforcement without eroding user privacy or stifling technological innovation.

Featuring Julian Sanchez, Research Fellow, Cato Institute; Will DeVries, Policy Counsel, Google; and Greg Nojeim, Senior Counsel and Director of the Project on Freedom, Security and Technology, Center for Democracy and Technology. Register here.

Date: Friday, May 21, 2010 at noon ET
Location: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building; Washington, D.C.
For more information: http://www.cato.org/events/