The NTIA-convened facial recognition technology multistakeholder discussions (CD Dec 4 p10) might be the first of several concurrent NTIA talks on key privacy issues, App Developers Alliance Vice President-Law Policy and Government Affairs Tim Sparapani told us after the agency’s announcement Tuesday. Several who took part in the NTIA’s first round of privacy discussions -- which produced a mobile app transparency code of conduct -- told us lessons learned from that process will streamline the coming discussions that commence in February. “I suspect NTIA will be doing more than one of these at a time in short order,” Sparapani said. But “any speculation on a timetable would be foolish,” when it comes to the facial recognition talks, Sparapani said.

The European Commission Wednesday pressed for stronger U.S. privacy protections to restore trust in trans-Atlantic data flows badly shaken by revelations of massive surveillance and ineffective compliance with the safe harbor agreement. It has a “clear agenda” for rebuilding trust with Europe and assuring Europeans their privacy will be safeguarded, said Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. The EC criticized compliance by companies, and lax oversight by the U.S. FTC and the Department of Commerce, of safe harbor, which allows businesses to transfer Europeans’ personal data to the U.S. In turn, civil society groups said the EC recommendations for improving safe harbor don’t go far enough, and one European Parliament member accused the EC of a whitewash.

The European Commission Wednesday pressed for stronger U.S. privacy protections to restore trust in trans-Atlantic data flows badly shaken by revelations of massive surveillance and ineffective compliance with the safe harbor agreement. It has a “clear agenda” for rebuilding trust with Europe and assuring Europeans their privacy will be safeguarded, said Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. The EC criticized compliance by companies, and lax oversight by the U.S. FTC and the Department of Commerce, of safe harbor, which allows businesses to transfer Europeans’ personal data to the U.S. In turn, civil society groups said the EC recommendations for improving safe harbor don’t go far enough, and one European Parliament member accused the EC of a whitewash.

Many copyright stakeholders said they expect a contentious public meeting Dec. 12 to discuss comments filed earlier this month on the Commerce Department’s green paper. It said it considered a “new framework for addressing online privacy issues” to balance consumer protections with the interests of rights holders on the Internet (http://1.usa.gov/h454cu). Many of the consumer copyright advocates we spoke with expressed disagreement with rightsholders, especially over statutory damages against copyright infringers. How the first-sale doctrine should be applied digitally, where to improve the notice-and-takedown provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and whether the federal government can assist in the development of a “robust online licensing environment” (http://1.usa.gov/1iQ1GWh) were among questions Commerce asked copyright stakeholders to address in the response to its August green paper (WID Aug 1 p9).

Many copyright stakeholders said they expect a contentious public meeting Dec. 12 to discuss comments filed earlier this month on the Commerce Department’s green paper. It said it considered a “new framework for addressing online privacy issues” to balance consumer protections with the interests of rights holders on the Internet (http://1.usa.gov/h454cu). Many of the consumer copyright advocates we spoke with expressed disagreement with rightsholders, especially over statutory damages against copyright infringers. How the first-sale doctrine should be applied digitally, where to improve the notice-and-takedown provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and whether the federal government can assist in the development of a “robust online licensing environment” (http://1.usa.gov/1iQ1GWh) were among questions Commerce asked copyright stakeholders to address in the response to its August green paper (CD Aug 1 p12).

House Republican leadership has taken an interest in moving forward with a National Security Agency surveillance proposal from the House Intelligence Committee. “There is significant member interest in this issue as well as multiple committees with jurisdiction,” a leadership aide told us when asked about the House Intelligence proposal. “Leadership is working to ensure that there is a well-coordinated process with all interested parties going forward.” No details of the House NSA proposal have been disclosed, but Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and ranking member Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., described elements of it during an open House Intelligence hearing this fall. At a Thursday closed markup session of HR-3381, the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014, Rogers said he wants to consider any NSA bill separately from the authorization act because House Intelligence shares jurisdiction over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act with the House Judiciary Committee. “I remain committed to continuing to work with members to move a FISA bill forward, but I hope we will save any amendments to FISA that Members are interested in pursing for a later day,” Rogers said in his opening statement (http://1.usa.gov/1fnGbwb) which was released outside of the hearing. The intelligence authorization passed by voice vote and advances to the House floor. A spokeswoman for Ruppersberger told us by email: “Since we did not reach the point of mark-up” of the House Intelligence NSA bill Thursday during the closed session, “there was still much that was up in the air, but the bill and any potential amendments all sought to enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight of the [intelligence community] and its national security laws and programs.” The House Intelligence bill is widely expected to preserve the government’s phone metadata bulk collection, which an alternative proposal from House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., would end. Sensenbrenner’s bill is called the USA Freedom Act, HR-3361, and now has 98 co-sponsors in the House, with two California members signing on Wednesday. “Leadership has not reached out to Congressman Sensenbrenner on NSA legislation,” a spokesman for Sensenbrenner told us Thursday. Several companies and nonprofits submitted a joint letter to House and Senate leaders Thursday urging support for Sensenbrenner’s bill and slamming alternatives that do not go as far. “We oppose legislation that codifies sweeping bulk collection activities,” the letter said (http://bit.ly/1aTXqgE). It was signed by many groups, including the Center for Democracy & Technology, Public Knowledge, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Free Press, TechFreedom, Mozilla, NetChoice, Tumblr and Reddit.

House Republican leadership has taken an interest in moving forward with a National Security Agency surveillance proposal from the House Intelligence Committee. “There is significant member interest in this issue as well as multiple committees with jurisdiction,” a leadership aide told us when asked about the House Intelligence proposal. “Leadership is working to ensure that there is a well-coordinated process with all interested parties going forward.” No details of the House NSA proposal have been disclosed, but Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and ranking member Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., described elements of it during an open House Intelligence hearing this fall. At a Thursday closed markup session of HR-3381, the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014, Rogers said he wants to consider any NSA bill separately from the authorization act because House Intelligence shares jurisdiction over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act with the House Judiciary Committee. “I remain committed to continuing to work with members to move a FISA bill forward, but I hope we will save any amendments to FISA that Members are interested in pursing for a later day,” Rogers said in his opening statement (http://1.usa.gov/1fnGbwb) which was released outside of the hearing. The intelligence authorization passed by voice vote and advances to the House floor. A spokeswoman for Ruppersberger told us by email: “Since we did not reach the point of mark-up” of the House Intelligence NSA bill Thursday during the closed session, “there was still much that was up in the air, but the bill and any potential amendments all sought to enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight of the [intelligence community] and its national security laws and programs.” The House Intelligence bill is widely expected to preserve the government’s phone metadata bulk collection, which an alternative proposal from House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., would end. Sensenbrenner’s bill is called the USA Freedom Act, HR-3361, and now has 98 co-sponsors in the House, with two California members signing on Wednesday. “Leadership has not reached out to Congressman Sensenbrenner on NSA legislation,” a spokesman for Sensenbrenner told us Thursday. Several companies and nonprofits submitted a joint letter to House and Senate leaders Thursday urging support for Sensenbrenner’s bill and slamming alternatives that do not go as far. “We oppose legislation that codifies sweeping bulk collection activities,” the letter said (http://bit.ly/1aTXqgE). It was signed by many groups, including the Center for Democracy & Technology, Public Knowledge, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, Free Press, TechFreedom, Mozilla, NetChoice, Tumblr and Reddit.

The World Wide Web Consortium-backed Do Not Track talks moved toward the first deadline for closing out definitions -- “tracking” and “party” -- since creating a new timeline last week, according to interviews with participants and a public email forum. The new tracking preference expression-focused path forward has caused in-group tension, prompting the chairs to clarify their new strategy. But in the group’s weekly Wednesday call, dissention remained over the group’s new direction -- even over the decision to first close out a definition for “tracking,” which is supposed to be wrapped up by Nov. 20, said co-chairman Justin Brookman, director of Center for Democracy and Technology’s Project on Consumer Privacy.

The World Wide Web Consortium-backed Do Not Track talks moved toward the first deadline for closing out definitions -- “tracking” and “party” -- since creating a new timeline last week, according to interviews with participants and a public email forum. The new tracking preference expression-focused path forward has caused in-group tension, prompting the chairs to clarify their new strategy. But in the group’s weekly Wednesday call, dissention remained over the group’s new direction -- even over the decision to first close out a definition for “tracking,” which is supposed to be wrapped up by Nov. 20, said co-chairman Justin Brookman, director of Center for Democracy and Technology’s Project on Consumer Privacy.

Privacy advocates began sniping hours after the Senate Intelligence Committee cleared proposed surveillance legislation Thursday. It sets the stage for a Senate fight over whether to end or preserve the National Security Agency’s bulk phone metadata surveillance program. Naysayers in the 11-4 committee vote (CD Nov 1 p4) also began slamming the FISA Improvements Act of 2013 (http://1.usa.gov/1gfiYfO), a major effort from Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Feinstein and committee Vice Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., praised its merits Thursday, and other members touted their amendments.