Help us build a Trust and Fairness Agenda! I’m excited to hear everyone’s idea!

🚨POLICY WRITING OPPORTUNITY🚨 We’re looking for forward-thinking policy ideas on: 🔋 AI applications for grid management and modernization ⚡ AI and energy related R&D 🌍 Measuring and managing the resource consumption of AI and data centers 📢 APPLY BY FEB 28 fas.org/accelerator/...

If anyone’s parent watches youtube shorts, here is me, pretending to be on date and talking about PETs. youtube.com/shorts/JtQfF...

🚨 Within the next 60 days (now much less), the Trump Administration will review OMB Guidance M-24-10 & M-24-18, which lay out how the federal government should use, acquire, and manage AI.

As long as nuclear weapons exist, nuclear war remains possible. And all nuclear weapons states are undergoing nuclear weapons modernization programs.

🚨 SCIPOL FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY🚨 Team FAS is looking for senior fellows to advance innovative policy and drive positive change. If you’re a leading light in your field and are ready to shape policy discourse and implementation, we want you for Team FAS. 📅 Apply by Jan 31 fas.org/career/senio...

The federal govt’s increasing reliance on CAI/PII is outpacing its ability to regulate it – putting your data in the wrong hands. As AI systems become increasingly integrated into government processes, protecting fundamental constitutional rights cannot be an afterthought. fas.org/publication/...

Recommendation 3. Build Government Capacity for the Use of Privacy Enhancing Technologies to Bolster Anonymization Techniques

Recommendation 2. Expand Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) to Incorporate Additional Requirements and Periodic Evaluations

FedRAMP should add CAI/PII to the mix, requiring datasets be assessed on the following information (see screenshot) Bonus: FedRAMP authorizations are strictly enforced, offering a level of rigor that voluntary assessments just can’t match

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, lovingly known as FedRAMP, already has a mandate to ensure the security of cloud service providers for the federal government uses, and that mandate has recently been expanded to AI technologies.

When a federal agency wants new software, say, for example, cloud management software, it has to make a series of assessments and justifications to procure and implement it. Why not do this for datasets too?

(this one is wonky, stay with us here) Recommendation 1. Enable FedRAMP to Create Authorization System for Third-Party Data Sources

But without statutory protections, it is incumbent on the executive branch to craft clear guidance. The Office of Management and Budget asked for help on creating such guidance. We happily olbiged.

On the legislative side, the Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act (H.R.4639) would bar technology providers from sharing customer records with anyone, including federal agencies, but the bill has stalled in the Senate.

The Privacy Act of 1974 covers the use of federally-collected personal information, but there is no specific guidance covering the federal use of third-party data, leaving one huge gaping loophole that it is critical to fix.

ICE and CBP have used broker-purchased location data to track individuals without warrants, raising constitutional concerns; and DHS loves cell phone data. Mass surveillance is made much easier by all this data.

The federal government is one of the largest buyers of Commercially Available Data (CAI), much of it containing Personally Identifiable Information. Some of this data is used for good (think public health research projects); some of it… Not so much.

This is you. Really. This is all it takes for you to be identified in a dataset. And the federal government is buying a loooot of dataset these days. (🧵how the executive branch can protect your personal information in three easy steps🧵)