Published: May 2020

White House must prioritize privacy and equity in COVID-19 response

In a letter to Vice President Michael R. Pence, who leads the Coronavirus Task Force, coalition advocates called on the government to set guidelines to protect individuals’ privacy, ensure equity in the treatment of individuals and communities and communicate clearly about public health objectives in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consumer Action joined more than a dozen leading consumer, privacy, civil and digital rights organizations in expressing concern to the White House about government plans that are being developed to address the pandemic, such as using technology for contact tracing. The coalition states that the proper use of technology and data have the potential to provide important public health benefits, but must incorporate privacy and security, as well as safeguards against discrimination and violations of civil and other rights. Developing a process to assess how effective technology and other tools will be to achieve the desired public health objectives is also vitally important.

Lead Organization

Consumer Federation of America and Center for Digital Democracy

Other Organizations

Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood Center for Democracy & Technology | Center for Digital Democracy | Constitutional Alliance | Consumer Action | Consumer Federation of America | Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Media Alliance | MediaJustice | Oakland Privacy | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy | Privacy Rights Clearinghouse | Public Citizen | Public Knowledge | Rights x Tech

More Information

For more information, please visit Center for Digital Democracy.

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White House must prioritize privacy and equity in COVID-19 response   (COVID_VP_letter_5-5-20.pdf)