• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Privacy for America

Privacy for America

Furthering Accountability and Responsible Data Practices.

  • Home
  • About
  • Overview
  • Newsroom
    • Blog
    • News
    • Press Releases
  • Contact
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

How Equity and Privacy Go Hand-in-Hand

May 28, 2021

Meeting the moment with a federal data privacy law that prohibits using data to discriminate against individuals

Over the last year, Americans have come to expect policymakers to do more to prevent discrimination against minority and underserved communities in the United States. A 2020 AP-NORC poll found that 24 percent of Americans would like the government to be working on racism in the coming year, up from just 10 percent in 2019. It’s clear that constituents are increasingly demanding legislative and regulatory solutions from their government representatives to help ensure equal and just treatment for all Americans.

But discrimination is not just an offline issue. As policymakers work to fill the many gaps that still exist, it is important to consider how data privacy plays an outsized role in protecting marginalized communities in this country.

Personal information such as a person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity can be used by bad actors online to determine eligibility for vital services like health care or insurance. In some cases, these bad actors charge different prices to different groups for the same goods and services. Privacy laws in America have not kept up with the constantly evolving landscape of the Internet, leaving marginalized communities vulnerable. The personal information they may share to conduct normal, daily activities online can be used against them. And this is unacceptable.

Protecting personal data for consumers as they browse the internet is critical to eliminating this discrimination. And it starts with moving away from the old “notice-and-choice” models of yesterday, which require consumers to review lengthy privacy policies to determine how a company plans to use and share their personal information. Instead, companies should be prohibited from engaging in data practices that are harmful or abusive to consumers, while still ensuring that all Americans can benefit from new and innovative technologies online.

Privacy for America’s framework envisions equitable legislation that would outright prohibit a range of dangerous practices that put personal data at risk and hold companies more accountable. Rather than asking for consent, the framework would ban the use of personal information to determine if someone is eligible for employment, credit, insurance, health care, education admissions, financial aid or housing, outside of existing federal laws, strengthening the protections already in place. And it would also ban the practice of charging an individual a higher price for any product or service based on personal traits such as race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Finally, the framework provides these broad-based protections to all Americans, no matter where they live, rather than relying on a patchwork set of federal and state laws that don’t provide clear protections for everyone.

With 83 percent of voters reporting data privacy should be a high priority for Congress this year, now is the time to act to protect all Americans, including underserved communities across the country.

To learn more about our approach, read our comprehensive policy principles here.

Blog

Footer

Contact Privacy for America

To get in touch, please contact us.

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

About Privacy for America

Learn more about us.

Read our privacy policy.

View our sitemap.

© 2023 Privacy for America. All rights reserved. Site By Prairie Marketing Inc.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT