Help the Digital Lab Chart the Future of Consumers’ Data Rights

Image courtesy of Rebecca Wang and OpenIDEO’s Cybersecurity Visuals Challenge

This fall, Consumer Reports’ reporting revealed that the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) isn’t yet working for consumers. Next, the Digital Lab started to explore if privacy rights granted by the CCPA would be easier to use if we did the legwork. We want consumers to have meaningful control over their data and believe that CR is uniquely positioned to make that possible. Our work in 2020 was just the beginning — making it simple for consumers to take control of their data is a big focus for the Digital Lab in 2021.

That’s why we’re seeking collaborators on two new projects. Read on…

• Contracting gig: Help us build the CCPA authorized agent ecosystem. We’re going to be issuing a lot of data requests to companies in 2021. We’re looking for someone in California to join our team on a contract basis to help facilitate the data rights experiments we have planned. If you’re looking to get experience working on a public interest technology project, we want to hear from you! Link here.
• RFP: Speculative design futures. We’re interested in developing a vision for how consumers might benefit from pooling their data with CR in the future. So we’re putting out a call for proposals to imagine applications of a hypothetical “consumer data co-op.” We’re open to working with an individual or a team, and welcome proposals from designers, researchers, academics, innovation strategists, and others. Proposals should highlight the applicant’s expertise with the work described in the RFP, including relevant projects and/or experience working on data rights issues. If you’re a dreamer with big ideas about what data co-ops could mean for society, we want to hear your visions: link here.

For both of these opportunities, we’ll be recruiting on a rolling basis until January 15th, or until we find the right partners — whichever comes sooner. To get in touch or request more information, drop us a line at digitallab@cr.consumer.org. We can’t wait to meet you and hear your ideas!