Americans today generate more data from more devices at a faster pace than ever before. This information Big Bang presents a tremendous opportunity for advancement of human knowledge, but also great risks for abiding by human and democratic values.

Mounting breaches of data privacy and security as well as anxiety about widespread use of personal data have put a global spotlight on privacy and data use. The European Union responded with broad legislation, including the landmark General Data Protection Regulation. Now, eyes turn toward the United States Congress, where there is unprecedented interest in national legislation to protect individual privacy while enhancing competitiveness in a global marketplace and enabling socially beneficial uses of data.

To explore these challenges, “The Privacy Debate” from Brookings convenes pre-eminent thought leaders from the Institution and expert guest contributors to inform the current landscape of digital privacy policymaking, and to chart a path forward for federal-level privacy legislation.