Civil Rights Advocates Decry Removal of Civil Rights Protections in APRA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mariah Wildgen, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Media/Telecommunications Task Force released the following statement in reaction to the latest discussion draft of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA):

“It is completely unacceptable that lawmakers stripped civil rights protections out of the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA). Privacy rights are civil rights. Previous bipartisan versions of APRA and the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) safeguarded privacy through strong civil rights protections. We are deeply disappointed to see members of Congress leave the concerns of our communities on the cutting room floor, after years of predatory practices harming real people day after day. The removal of civil rights protections and algorithmic auditing provisions is outrageous. We urge lawmakers to restore these important provisions in order to achieve privacy protections that are truly comprehensive and serve everyone. We cannot wait for our rights.

“Going back at least to the Supreme Court’s decision in NAACP v. Alabama in 1958 — an anniversary we’ll celebrate next Saturday — privacy and civil rights have always been inseparable. We cannot have one without the other. It is little relief to someone who is denied equal opportunity to tell them the denial happened privately. If APRA is to proceed, it must protect our civil rights.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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