Electronic Privacy Information Center
NGOthink tank
| Electronic Privacy Information Center link () Influencewatch Sourcewatch Website | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | EPIC |
| Formation | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Washington D.C., USA |
| Type | think tank |
| Membership | Anita Allen,Harry Lewis,Paul Smith,Danielle Citron,Whitfield Diffie,David Farber,Addison Fischer,Jeff Jonas,Chris Larse,Helen Nissenbaum,Sherry Turkle,Shoshana Zuboff,Marc Rotenberg,Deborah Hurley,Jerry Kang,Edward G. Viltz,Anita L. Allen,Whitfield Diffie, Philip Friedman,Peter Neumann (SRI),Bruce Schneier |
| A think tank concerned with the impact of technology on privacy and free speech. | |
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a think tank concerned with the impact of technology on privacy and free speech.
EPIC pursues a wide range of civil liberties, consumer protection, and human rights issues, but steers away from the more radical issues. Funding comes from some of the larger grantmaking foundations, including some of the mightiest Silicon Valley billionaires.
Work
The organization was founded in 1994 by the Fund for Constitutional Government and the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. EPIC conducts research, files lawsuits against private corporations and government bodies, sends members to testify before Congress, funds smaller ally organizations and gives out Champion of Freedom Awards.
EPIC has pursued several successful consumer privacy complaints with the US Federal Trade Commission, concerning Snapchat (faulty privacy technology), WhatsApp (privacy policy after acquisition by Facebook), Facebook (changes in user privacy settings), Google (roll-out of Google Buzz), Microsoft (Hailstorm log-in), and Choicepoint (sale of personal information to identity thieves).
EPIC has also prevailed in significant Freedom of Information Act cases against the CIA, the DHS, the Department of Education, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency (NSA), the ODNI, and the Transportation Security Administration.
EPIC has also filed many "friend of the court" briefs on law and technology, including Riley v. California (U.S. 2014) (concerning cell phone privacy), and litigated important privacy cases, including EPIC v. DHS (D.C. Cir. 2011), which led to the removal of the x-ray body scanners in US airports.[1]
EPIC Champion of Freedom Award
EPIC established the Champions of Freedom Award in 2004 "to recognize individuals and organizations that have helped safeguard the right of privacy, promote open government, and protect democratic values with courage and integrity". Its award winners are mostly decidedly within the mainstream framework (with the partial exception of Edward Snowden in 2014), and include senior US judges,ambassadors and politicians[2].
Funders
Major donors over the years include [3] the Ford Foundation, Open Society Institute, Rockefeller Family Fund and many others.
Members
Members include board members from 2009 and 2021, but not the bigger advisory board[4]
References
- ↑ https://epic.org/privacy/litigation/apa/tsa/bodyscanner/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Privacy_Information_Center#EPIC_Privacy_Champions
- ↑ 2005-2006 Annual Report, Electronic Privacy Information Center, accessed January 10, 2009.
- ↑ https://epic.org/epic/advisory_board.html