Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act

Bill: 118-hr-4755
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11]
Introduced: 2023-07-19
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft

Computers and information technology

Congressional oversight

Public-private cooperation

Research administration and funding

Research and development

Right of privacy

Technology assessment
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-30
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-07-19
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires certain federal agencies to support research and development of technology that better protects individuals' privacy with respect to data collection (i.e., privacy enhancing technologies).</p><p>Specifically, the National Science Foundation must support research on de-identification methods, algorithmic tools, free software libraries, and other technology that reduces privacy risks from data processing. The bill also specifically incorporates this type of technology into the foundation's computer and network security research grants.</p><p>Additionally, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (a network of 24 federal agencies focused on research and development of&nbsp;advanced information technologies in computing, networking, and software) must coordinate with the foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Federal Trade Commission, and other federal agencies to accelerate the development and implementation of this type of technology.&nbsp;</p><p>NIST must also engage with&nbsp;public and private stakeholders to support the development of voluntary standards for integrating this type of technology into data collection, sharing, and analytical practices.</p>

action_date: 2023-09-21
action_desc: Reported to House
text: <p><strong>Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires certain federal agencies to support research and development of technology that better protects individuals' privacy with respect to data collection (i.e., privacy enhancing technologies).</p><p>Specifically, the National Science Foundation must support research on de-identification methods, algorithmic tools, free software libraries, and other technology that reduces privacy risks from data processing. The bill also specifically incorporates this type of technology into the foundation's computer and network security research grants.</p><p>Additionally, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (a network of 24 federal agencies focused on research and development of&nbsp;advanced information technologies in computing, networking, and software) must coordinate with the foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Federal Trade Commission, and other federal agencies to accelerate the development and implementation of this type of technology.&nbsp;</p><p>NIST must also engage with&nbsp;public and private stakeholders to support the development of voluntary standards for integrating this type of technology into data collection, sharing, and analytical practices.</p>

action_date: 2024-04-29
action_desc: Passed House
text: <p><strong>Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires certain federal agencies to support research and development of technology that better protects individuals' privacy with respect to data collection (i.e., privacy enhancing technologies).</p><p>Specifically, the National Science Foundation must support research on de-identification methods, algorithmic tools, free software libraries, and other technology that reduces privacy risks from data processing. The bill also specifically incorporates this type of technology into the foundation's computer and network security research grants.</p><p>Additionally, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program (a network of 24 federal agencies focused on research and development of&nbsp;advanced information technologies in computing, networking, and software) must coordinate with the foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Federal Trade Commission, and other federal agencies to accelerate the development and implementation of this type of technology.&nbsp;</p><p>NIST must also engage with&nbsp;public and private stakeholders to support the development of voluntary standards for integrating this type of technology into data collection, sharing, and analytical practices.</p>

tv_txt: IIB 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4755 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 30, 2024 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation AN ACT To support research on privacy enhancing technologies and promote responsible data use, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act . 2. Privacy enhancing technology (a) National Science Foundation support of research on privacy enhancing technology The Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies (as determined by the Director), shall support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research on privacy enhancing technologies, which may include the following: (1) Fundamental research on technologies for de-identification, pseudonymization, anonymization, or obfuscation to mitigate individuals’ privacy risks in data sets while maintaining fairness, accuracy, and efficiency. (2) Fundamental research on algorithms and other similar mathematical tools used to protect individual privacy when collecting, storing, sharing, analyzing, or aggregating data. (3) Fundamental research on technologies that promote data minimization in data collection, sharing, and analytics that takes into account the trade-offs between the data minimization goals and the informational goals of data collection. (4) Research awards on privacy enhancing technologies coordinated with other relevant Federal agencies and programs. (5) Supporting education and workforce training research and development activities, including re-training and upskilling of the existing workforce, to increase the number of privacy enhancing technology researchers and practitioners. (6) Multidisciplinary socio-technical research that fosters broader understanding of privacy preferences, requirements, and human behavior to inform the design and adoption of effective privacy solutions. (7) Development of freely available privacy enhancing technology software libraries, platforms, and applications. (8) Fundamental research on techniques that may undermine the protections provided by privacy enhancing technologies, the limitations of such protections, and the trade-offs between privacy and utility required for the deployment of such technologies. (9) Fundamental research on technologies and techniques to preserve the privacy and confidentiality of individuals from unconsented, unwanted, or unauthorized location tracking, including through GPS. (b) Integration into the computer and network security program Subparagraph (D) of section 4(a)(1) of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act ( 15 U.S.C. 7403(a)(1)(D) ) is amended by inserting , including privacy enhancing technologies before the semicolon. (c) Coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other stakeholders (1) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall coordinate with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Trade Commission, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, to accelerate the development, deployment, and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (2) Outreach The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall conduct outreach to— (A) receive input from private, public, and academic stakeholders on the development of privacy enhancing technologies; and (B) facilitate and support ongoing public and private sector engagement to inform the development and dissemination of voluntary, consensus-based technical standards, guidelines, methodologies, procedures, and processes to cost-effectively increase the integration of privacy enhancing technologies in data collection, sharing, and analytics performed by the public and private sectors. (d) Report on privacy enhancing technology research Not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall, in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, a report containing information relating to the following: (1) The progress of research on privacy enhancing technologies. (2) The progress of the development of voluntary resources described under subsection (c)(2)(B). (3) Any policy recommendations that could facilitate and improve communication and coordination between the private sector and relevant Federal agencies for the implementation and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (e) Protecting personal identifying information Any personal identifying information collected or stored through the activities authorized under this section shall be done in accordance with part 690 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to the protection of human subjects), or any successor regulation. (f) Definition In this section, the term privacy enhancing technology — (1) means any software or hardware solution, technical process, or other technological means of mitigating individuals’ privacy risks arising from data processing by enhancing predictability, manageability, disassociability, and confidentiality; and (2) may include— (A) cryptographic techniques for facilitating computation or analysis on data while mitigating privacy risks; (B) techniques for— (i) publicly sharing data without enabling inferences to be made about specific individuals; (ii) giving individuals’ control over the dissemination, sharing, and use of their data; and (iii) generating synthetic data; and (C) any other technology or approach that reduces the risk of re-identification, including when combined with other information.

Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 2024. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4755 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To support research on privacy enhancing technologies and promote responsible data use, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act . 2. Privacy enhancing technology (a) National Science Foundation support of research on privacy enhancing technology The Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies (as determined by the Director), shall support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research on privacy enhancing technologies, which may include the following: (1) Fundamental research on technologies for de-identification, pseudonymization, anonymization, or obfuscation to mitigate individuals’ privacy risks in data sets while maintaining fairness, accuracy, and efficiency. (2) Fundamental research on algorithms and other similar mathematical tools used to protect individual privacy when collecting, storing, sharing, analyzing, or aggregating data. (3) Fundamental research on technologies that promote data minimization in data collection, sharing, and analytics that takes into account the trade-offs between the data minimization goals and the informational goals of data collection. (4) Research awards on privacy enhancing technologies coordinated with other relevant Federal agencies and programs. (5) Supporting education and workforce training research and development activities, including re-training and upskilling of the existing workforce, to increase the number of privacy enhancing technology researchers and practitioners. (6) Multidisciplinary socio-technical research that fosters broader understanding of privacy preferences, requirements, and human behavior to inform the design and adoption of effective privacy solutions. (7) Development of freely available privacy enhancing technology software libraries, platforms, and applications. (8) Fundamental research on techniques that may undermine the protections provided by privacy enhancing technologies, the limitations of such protections, and the trade-offs between privacy and utility required for the deployment of such technologies. (9) Fundamental research on technologies and techniques to preserve the privacy and confidentiality of individuals from unconsented, unwanted, or unauthorized location tracking, including through GPS. (b) Integration into the computer and network security program Subparagraph (D) of section 4(a)(1) of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act ( 15 U.S.C. 7403(a)(1)(D) ) is amended by inserting , including privacy enhancing technologies before the semicolon. (c) Coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other stakeholders (1) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall coordinate with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Trade Commission, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, to accelerate the development, deployment, and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (2) Outreach The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall conduct outreach to— (A) receive input from private, public, and academic stakeholders on the development of privacy enhancing technologies; and (B) facilitate and support ongoing public and private sector engagement to inform the development and dissemination of voluntary, consensus-based technical standards, guidelines, methodologies, procedures, and processes to cost-effectively increase the integration of privacy enhancing technologies in data collection, sharing, and analytics performed by the public and private sectors. (d) Report on privacy enhancing technology research Not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall, in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, a report containing information relating to the following: (1) The progress of research on privacy enhancing technologies. (2) The progress of the development of voluntary resources described under subsection (c)(2)(B). (3) Any policy recommendations that could facilitate and improve communication and coordination between the private sector and relevant Federal agencies for the implementation and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (e) Protecting personal identifying information Any personal identifying information collected or stored through the activities authorized under this section shall be done in accordance with part 690 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to the protection of human subjects), or any successor regulation. (f) Definition In this section, the term privacy enhancing technology — (1) means any software or hardware solution, technical process, or other technological means of mitigating individuals’ privacy risks arising from data processing by enhancing predictability, manageability, disassociability, and confidentiality; and (2) may include— (A) cryptographic techniques for facilitating computation or analysis on data while mitigating privacy risks; (B) techniques for— (i) publicly sharing data without enabling inferences to be made about specific individuals; (ii) giving individuals’ control over the dissemination, sharing, and use of their data; and (iii) generating synthetic data; and (C) any other technology or approach that reduces the risk of re-identification, including when combined with other information.

Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 2024. Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk.

tv_txt: IB Union Calendar No. 170 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4755 [Report No. 118–210] IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 19, 2023 Ms. Stevens (for herself and Mr. Kean of New Jersey ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology September 21, 2023 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 19, 2023 A BILL To support research on privacy enhancing technologies and promote responsible data use, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act . 2. Privacy enhancing technology (a) National Science Foundation support of research on privacy enhancing technology The Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies (as determined by the Director), shall support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research on privacy enhancing technologies, which may include the following: (1) Fundamental research on technologies for de-identification, pseudonymization, anonymization, or obfuscation to mitigate individuals’ privacy risks in data sets while maintaining fairness, accuracy, and efficiency. (2) Fundamental research on algorithms and other similar mathematical tools used to protect individual privacy when collecting, storing, sharing, analyzing, or aggregating data. (3) Fundamental research on technologies that promote data minimization in data collection, sharing, and analytics that takes into account the trade-offs between the data minimization goals and the informational goals of data collection. (4) Research awards on privacy enhancing technologies coordinated with other relevant Federal agencies and programs. (5) Supporting education and workforce training research and development activities, including re-training and upskilling of the existing workforce, to increase the number of privacy enhancing technology researchers and practitioners. (6) Multidisciplinary socio-technical research that fosters broader understanding of privacy preferences, requirements, and human behavior to inform the design and adoption of effective privacy solutions. (7) Development of freely available privacy enhancing technology software libraries, platforms, and applications. (8) Fundamental research on techniques that may undermine the protections provided by privacy enhancing technologies, the limitations of such protections, and the trade-offs between privacy and utility required for the deployment of such technologies. (9) Fundamental research on technologies and techniques to preserve the privacy and confidentiality of individuals from unconsented, unwanted, or unauthorized location tracking, including through GPS. (b) Integration into the computer and network security program Subparagraph (D) of section 4(a)(1) of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act ( 15 U.S.C. 7403(a)(1)(D) ) is amended by inserting , including privacy enhancing technologies before the semicolon. (c) Coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other stakeholders (1) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall coordinate with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Trade Commission, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, to accelerate the development, deployment, and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (2) Outreach The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall conduct outreach to— (A) receive input from private, public, and academic stakeholders on the development of privacy enhancing technologies; and (B) facilitate and support ongoing public and private sector engagement to inform the development and dissemination of voluntary, consensus-based technical standards, guidelines, methodologies, procedures, and processes to cost-effectively increase the integration of privacy enhancing technologies in data collection, sharing, and analytics performed by the public and private sectors. (d) Report on privacy enhancing technology research Not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall, in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, a report containing information relating to the following: (1) The progress of research on privacy enhancing technologies. (2) The progress of the development of voluntary resources described under subsection (c)(2)(B). (3) Any policy recommendations that could facilitate and improve communication and coordination between the private sector and relevant Federal agencies for the implementation and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (e) Protecting personal identifying information Any personal identifying information collected or stored through the activities authorized under this section shall be done in accordance with part 690 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to the protection of human subjects), or any successor regulation. (f) Definition In this section, the term privacy enhancing technology — (1) means any software or hardware solution, technical process, or other technological means of mitigating individuals’ privacy risks arising from data processing by enhancing predictability, manageability, disassociability, and confidentiality; and (2) may include— (A) cryptographic techniques for facilitating computation or analysis on data while mitigating privacy risks; (B) techniques for— (i) publicly sharing data without enabling inferences to be made about specific individuals; (ii) giving individuals’ control over the dissemination, sharing, and use of their data; and (iii) generating synthetic data; and (C) any other technology or approach that reduces the risk of re-identification, including when combined with other information.

September 21, 2023 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4755 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 19, 2023 Ms. Stevens (for herself and Mr. Kean of New Jersey ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology A BILL To support research on privacy enhancing technologies and promote responsible data use, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act . 2. Privacy enhancing technology (a) National Science Foundation support of research on privacy enhancing technology The Director of the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies (as determined by the Director), shall support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research on privacy enhancing technologies, which may include the following: (1) Fundamental research on technologies for de-identification, pseudonymization, anonymization, or obfuscation to mitigate individuals’ privacy risks in data sets while maintaining fairness, accuracy, and efficiency. (2) Fundamental research on algorithms and other similar mathematical tools used to protect individual privacy when collecting, storing, sharing, analyzing, or aggregating data. (3) Fundamental research on technologies that promote data minimization in data collection, sharing, and analytics that takes into account the trade-offs between the data minimization goals and the informational goals of data collection. (4) Research awards on privacy enhancing technologies coordinated with other relevant Federal agencies and programs. (5) Supporting education and workforce training research and development activities, including re-training and upskilling of the existing workforce, to increase the number of privacy enhancing technology researchers and practitioners. (6) Multidisciplinary socio-technical research that fosters broader understanding of privacy preferences, requirements, and human behavior to inform the design and adoption of effective privacy solutions. (7) Development of freely available privacy enhancing technology software libraries, platforms, and applications. (8) Fundamental research on techniques that may undermine the protections provided by privacy enhancing technologies, the limitations of such protections, and the trade-offs between privacy and utility required for the deployment of such technologies. (b) Integration into the computer and network security program Subparagraph (D) of section 4(a)(1) of the Cyber Security Research and Development Act ( 15 U.S.C. 7403(a)(1)(D) ) is amended by inserting , including privacy enhancing technologies before the semicolon. (c) Coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other stakeholders (1) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall coordinate with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Trade Commission, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, to accelerate the development, deployment, and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (2) Outreach The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall conduct outreach to— (A) receive input from private, public, and academic stakeholders on the development of privacy enhancing technologies; and (B) facilitate and support ongoing public and private sector engagement to inform the development and dissemination of voluntary, consensus-based technical standards, guidelines, methodologies, procedures, and processes to cost-effectively increase the integration of privacy enhancing technologies in data collection, sharing, and analytics performed by the public and private sectors. (d) Report on privacy enhancing technology research Not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program, shall, in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, a report containing information relating to the following: (1) The progress of research on privacy enhancing technologies. (2) The progress of the development of voluntary resources described under subsection (c)(2)(B). (3) Any policy recommendations that could facilitate and improve communication and coordination between the private sector and relevant Federal agencies for the implementation and adoption of privacy enhancing technologies. (e) Protecting personal identifying information Any personal identifying information collected or stored through the activities authorized under this section shall be done in accordance with part 690 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (relating to the protection of human subjects), or any successor regulation. (f) Definition In this section, the term privacy enhancing technology — (1) means any software or hardware solution, technical process, or other technological means of mitigating individuals’ privacy risks arising from data processing by enhancing predictability, manageability, disassociability, and confidentiality; and (2) may include— (A) cryptographic techniques for facilitating computation or analysis on data while mitigating privacy risks; (B) techniques for— (i) publicly sharing data without enabling inferences to be made about specific individuals; (ii) giving individuals’ control over the dissemination, sharing, and use of their data; and (iii) generating synthetic data; and (C) any other technology or approach that reduces the risk of re-identification, including when combined with other information.