Gen-Z Weighs In On Long Overdue Reform Of The Federal Privacy Act of 1974

The federal government is finally moving toward a privacy framework designed for the 21st century. We are excited to share our contribution to the newly released report from the Office of Congresswoman Lori Trahan, "Privacy, Trust, and Effective Government: A Bipartisan Blueprint for Modernizing the Privacy Act". This work represents a critical step in transforming an outdated, 50-year-old law into a purpose-centric model that addresses the risks posed by modern technologies like artificial intelligence.

ZETA's involvement centered on ensuring that federal privacy protections are technically feasible and robust enough to handle current challenges. You can read the full 2026 Privacy Act Report here to see the ten core recommendations, which include adopting privacy-enhancing technologies and establishing independent oversight within the legislative branch. We also encourage you to look at the ZETA RFI submission that informed these proposals.

This blueprint serves as a necessary roadmap for Congress to restore trust in government institutions. We look forward to continuing this collaboration to ensure that data-agnostic protections and meaningful enforcement become the new standard for federal data processing.