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The real danger is the gradual erosion of individual liberties through the automation, integration, and interconnection of many small, separate record-keeping systems, each of which alone may seem innocuous, even benevolent, and wholly justifiable.
-----U.S. Privacy Protection Study Commission, 1977
More About the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Select a topic:
Contact Information | PRC Mission and Goals
PRC Services | PRC Staff | PRC Advisory Board
PRC Funders | Awards
Praise for the PRC | Donating to the PRC
Contact Information 
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
3100 - 5th Ave., Suite B
San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: (619) 298-3396
Fax: (619) 298-5681
(The PRC does not accept unsolicited ads.)
Web: http://www.privacyrights.org
Director, Beth Givens
Director of Policy and Advocacy , Paul Stephens
For more information about our staff, see below.
PRC Mission & Goals
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission -- consumer information and consumer advocacy. It was established in 1992 and is based in San Diego, California. It is primarily grant-supported and serves individuals nationwide.
The PRC's goals are to:
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Raise consumers' awareness of how technology affects personal privacy.
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Empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.
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Respond to specific privacy-related complaints from consumers, intercede on their behalf, and, when appropriate, refer them to the proper organizations for further assistance.
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Document the nature of consumers' complaints and questions about privacy in reports, testimony, and speeches and make them available to policy makers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the media.
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Advocate for consumers' privacy rights in local, state, and federal public policy proceedings, including legislative testimony, regulatory agency hearings, task forces, and study commissions as well as conferences and workshops.
PRC Services
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A hotline for consumers to report privacy abuses and request information on ways to protect their privacy. Call (619) 298-3396 or contact us using our inquiry form.
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An extensive series of fact sheets on privacy issues, available in English and some in Spanish.
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Assistance and interviews for journalists, providing background and comments for stories.
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A referral service for journalists and policymakers who are seeking victims of privacy abuses who have indicated a willingness to talk with the media and/or testify in legislative and regulatory agency hearings.
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A speakers service, in which PRC staff make presentations at conferences, employee training sessions, and civic and community group meetings.
Staff of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
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Beth Givens is founder and director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, established in 1992. She has developed the Fact Sheet series as author and/or editor. She authored the encyclopedia entries on identity theft for Encyclopedia of Privacy (2007), World Book Encyclopedia (2004) and Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment (2002). She is author of The Privacy Rights Handbook: How to Take Control of Your Personal Information (Avon, 1997) and is co-author of Privacy Piracy: A Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft (1999). She contributed a chapter on consumer and privacy rights to the 2006 book, RFID: Applications, Security and Privacy.
Givens represents the interests of consumers in public policy proceedings at the state and federal levels (California Legislature, U.S. Congress, and federal and state regulatory agencies). Her contributions to legislative hearings, regulatory workshops, and public policy conferences are found in the Speeches & Testimony section of the web site.
Givens has participated in numerous task forces and commissions including: California Real ID Act Privacy & Security Work Group, California Radio Frequency ID Advisory Committee, California Office of Privacy Protection Advisory Committee, California Secretary of State Voter Privacy Task Force, TRUSTe Wireless Advisory Committee, U.S. Decennial Census Advisory Committee, Justice Management Institute Advisory Committee on Electronic Access to Court Records, California Task Force on Criminal Records Identity Theft, California Legislature's Joint Task Force on Personal Information and Privacy; and the California Judicial Council's Subcommittee on Privacy and Access.
She is often interviewed by the media on consumer privacy issues, including: The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Good Morning America, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, NPR Morning Edition, NPR Talk of the Nation, Marketplace, and all major U.S. newspapers.
Prior to her work as a consumer advocate, she was a librarian specializing in library network development and resource sharing.
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Paul Stephens is part-time Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. He has been associated with the PRC since 2005. Stephens has extensive experience in public policy, regulatory issues, and legislative matters. He also has considerable specialized expertise in federal rulemaking and adjudicatory proceedings. Stephens has served as advisor to several federal Commissions and councils covering a broad range of regulatory activities. He has developed numerous policy briefing papers and regulatory analyses and made presentations to a variety of civilian and military agencies. Stephens is experienced in legislative affairs, having been responsible for reviewing numerous pieces of proposed legislation.
Stephens represents the PRC in media interviews facilitating consumer awareness of important privacy issues. He develops PRC consumer educational materials including newsletters, consumer alerts, privacy tips, and fact sheets. He also conducts research in support of PRC's consumer outreach programs. Stephens has had a long time interest in consumer advocacy and privacy issues, and enjoys working to protect consumers' privacy rights.
PRC Advisory Board
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Marcy E. Peek, JD, Assistant Professor of Law, Whittier Law School
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Joy Pritts, JD, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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PRC Funders
Recent PRC funding (from 2002 to date) has been provided by the Rose Foundation Consumer Privacy Rights Fund, California Consumer Protection Foundation, Campos v. ChoicePoint Settlement Fund, AOL, Erie spyware case cy pres fund (Jeffrey Wilens, Esq., Jeffrey P. Spencer, Esq.) Judith and Alfred Rosenberg Family Foundation, Roger L. Kohn Fund, and Consumer Federation of America.
The PRC is an independent program of the Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), a San Diego-based nonprofit membership organization which advocates for consumers' interests in telecommunications, energy, and the Internet. UCAN also supports the PRC.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse was originally established in 1992 with funding from the Telecommunications Education Trust (TET), a program of the California Public Utilities Commission. It was housed at the University of San Diego Center for Public Interest Law (www.cpil.org) from 1992 through 1996, when the TET program expired.
We are grateful to all our supporters. Learn how you can support our work by reading below.
Awards
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The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and its affiliated Identity Theft Resource Center were honored with a year-2000 award from the Foundation for Improvement of Justice (www.justiceawards.com) for their work with identity theft victims.
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The PRC received the 1997 Consumer Action Award for its "outstanding service to consumers." (www.consumer-action.org)
Praise for the PRC
One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is hearing from individuals who we have assisted. Here is some recent feedback:
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Thank you for making this information available in plain English. You have highlighted several issues that I have been wondering about for ages and must now do something about... (3/3/07)
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Thank you so much for your exceptionally helpful answer! I will certainly contact [Company X] and let them know of our experience. I am so impressed with the PRC! (10/9/06)
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Thank you for your assistance. I appreciate the time your organization spends on this issue. I will be sure to contact the FTC and my legislators. I am also sharing your email with my family members. (10/6/06)
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Thank you very much ... for responding to my request and for the helpful information you have provided. I will continue to pursue this using your links and I hope enough people will take action to relieve us all of this deplorable practice: selling and exposing personal information. [complaint about online information brokers] (10/4/06)
I received your message. Thank you so much for the information. At least now I have some steps to follow to correct the problem. I would have never had the time to find all of the great information you've given me. Once again, Thank You. (9/25/06)
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You have a wonderful organization that is making a great contribution to all. (8/4/06)
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Just a quick note to say 'hi' and thank you for the wonderful site you and your team have developed. I'm a security and compliance engineer and promote your site with clients and our team when possible. It's a great resource for us in the field and look forward to additional information being added this year. Thanks for making this available to us out in the field trying to protect identities and key assets. (7/9/06)
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Thank you so much for the tremendous amount of information you provided me with. Hopefully now that I am more onto these privacy infringements, I will be one more person that can be part of making something happen. I will be contacting my elected officials and the FTC as you suggested. Thank you again so much for the time and effort you put into your reply to me. (7/2/06)
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Wow, thanks for the speedy response time on forwarding this information I was seeking. I'm so lucky to have you as a contact person, whenever I need expertise and/or advice on a specific topic or legal questions. I greatly appreciate you taking out the time to respond to my email inquiry. (3/15/06)
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I really like your website! You have done such extensive work and you've just made my life a lot easier!! Bless you!! (03/14/06)
How to Donate to the PRC
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse appreciates donations from those who value the information we provide on our web site and when we assist them through replies to our inquiry form or with direct intervention. Your support of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse enables us to continue to educate consumers and advocate for stronger privacy-protection laws, regulations and industry practices.
The PRC is a nonprofit program and your donations are tax-deductible. The parent organization of the PRC, the Utility Consumers' Action Network, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Individuals may donate to the PRC in two ways: By using our online Donate Now feature at https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=2740 or by printing out our contributions form and sending a check to the address above which also is on the form.
Be assured that 100% of your donation will support the work of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Also, please know that we do not release the names of individual donors to others.
Our organization also accepts Cy Pres funding. If you are interested in speaking with the PRC about a Cy Pres settlement award, please contact PRC Director Beth Givens. |
