The Federal Communications Commission has released a public notice (pdf) asking for comments on “questions about the use of personal information and privacy in an online, broadband world” that were raised in a letter by the Center for Democracy and Technology. Comments are due by Friday, January 22, a little more than a week from now.  See below for information on how to file.

The questions the FCC wants comments on are:

Meeting Consumer Expectations of Privacy. The Commission has received comments suggesting that the use of personal information remains central to the success of many of the technologies considered, yet trust in these technologies depends on the ability to meet basic consumer expectations of privacy. The Commission invites further comment on this issue, including:

1. What principles and standards should be considered to help articulate existing consumer expectations of privacy?
2. What can federal agencies do to help ensure that consumer expectations of privacy are met as new technologies platforms are developed?
3. Are there industry best practices or regulatory models that are useful in helping to ensure that can be adapted across technology platforms to ensure that users are protected while allowing for the proper use of personal information?

Building Privacy by Design. The Commission would like further comment on ways to promote the development of technologies that protect privacy as they also utilize data. Read more »

From the Web site:

Data Collection, Privacy, and Competition

With the integration of the internet into vast areas of trade and commerce, the importance of being able to reach a large and targeted potential customer base is placing a premium on the retention of large amounts of private information that may then be used to sell goods and services. The privacy implications of this phenomenon have been much discussed. But does the practice of collecting private information raise competition issues? If so, how should competition concerns be balanced against the benefits consumers may gain from these practices? Is this a matter that warrants intervention by competition authorities? Is there a synergy between privacy and competition concerns or are they effectively separate inquiries? Read more »

From the Web site:

Reforming Internet Privacy Law at 1 p.m.

(See more below on: A Gentle Introduction to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act at 11:00 a.m.)

Webcast will be available: http://www.nextgenweb.org/

How much privacy do we enjoy online; when should the need for privacy give way to other societal needs; and how should law guarantee online privacy, if at all? The answers to these questions turn on some first-principles disagreements: Should we protect privacy through a patchwork of statutes and regulations, as we have to date, or should we instead enact omnibus privacy rules which govern across industries and provide uniform standards across the country? When does the need to enable new forms of behavioral marketing outweigh small incursions into user privacy? How can we balance the need for privacy against the government’s need to investigate online crime and protect national security?

Many have criticized the patchwork of federal and state laws which regulate privacy on the Internet. These critics contend that these laws, which govern what both governments and private parties such as businesses can do to track behavior and communications online, are vague and confusing, failing to keep up with breathtaking Internet advances. Read more »

The Center on National Security and the Law at Georgetown Law will hold an event today, “Biometrics and the Law.” From the site:

Biometric ID systems have the capacity to automatically identify and track individuals based on stored data on their biological and behavioral characteristics, including facial features, vascular and retinal patterns, voice, gait, skull resonance, DNA, and yes – even hormones. What are the policy applications and the legal and privacy implications of recent advances in biometric technologies?

Panelists include:

Stewart A. Baker, Former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the US Dept of Homeland Security Read more »

The American Constitution Society is having an event about Justice Louis Brandeis and the right to privacy. From the Web site:

Louis Brandeis and the Development of the Right to Privacy

Nearly 120 years ago, modern privacy law took root with the publication of Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis’s seminal article, The Right to Privacy. At the time, more than 25 years before Brandeis took his seat on the Supreme Court, he was focused on the invasions of privacy that resulted from increasing use the new technology of “snapshot photography” by the press without the consent of the people being photographed. But Brandeis also knew that there was more to the “right to be let alone” and he would later take steps, particularly as a member of the Supreme Court, to nurture this critical area of the common law, which now touches our lives in important ways through the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the law of tort, the law governing fundamental decisions, and state constitutional law. Read more »

The American Constitution Society will have a panel discussion on privacy questions. From the site:

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy invites you to attend:

Living Online: Privacy and Security Issues in a Digital Age

Our lives are increasingly lived online. A large number of Americans routinely exchange information in cyberspace for personal, business, and other purposes. What privacy and security issues present themselves in this relatively new and increasingly ubiquitous space? What particular privacy concerns might apply when specific entities, such as the government, hold or process our information? What particular considerations might apply when the information being transmitted is particularly sensitive, such as health care information or financial information? How do privacy, security, and information ownership concerns function when information is being exchanged on social networking sites? Read more »