Youth for Privacy is a youth-based online privacy advocacy organization that is affiliated with the United Nations and its Office of Disarmament Affairs. ^{1 2}

Background

Youth for Privacy (YFP) is a youth-based cybersecurity, online privacy, and responsible artificial intelligence advocacy organization. YFP claims that “digital surveillance rapidly encroaches into” the personal lives of citizens around the world. The group works to raise awareness of cyber-privacy issues through education, research, and advocacy work. ³

Activities

One of Youth for Privacy’s main objectives is to advocate for children’s online safety, noting that companies such as Microsoft have illegally collected data from children. ⁴ In 2023, Microsoft was ordered to pay $20 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from children using its Xbox gaming system without notifying or obtaining consent from parents, and then illegally retaining that information. ⁵

Youth for Privacy holds multiple workshops on online privacy. The organization hosted its Data Values Boot Camp workshop, co-hosted by the Data Values Project, in August 2023. The “Boot Camp” consisted of a three-day virtual workshop on how personal data is used and who uses it. The workshop’s schedule states that attendees would learn how “leveraging narratives” and using storytelling can create change, and states one session would teach “effective youth advocacy.” ⁶

The workshop also included a talk with Pam Dixon, the executive director of the World Privacy Forum, an online privacy advocacy organization that aims to reimagine how data protection and governance is implemented. ^{7 8}

Youth for Privacy also partnered with the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs to create a workshop that focused on online privacy and artificial intelligence disarmament. ⁹

YFP also held a workshop at the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs, as part of its #Leaders4Tomorrow initiative, in October 2022. ¹⁰

UN Involvement

Youth for Privacy is involved with the United Nations, an intergovernmental agency founded after World War II to provide a forum for peaceful international dispute resolution. YFP attended the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Partnership Forum in January 2023. YFP also co-hosted the Youth Engagement and Access to ICTs virtual side-event at the fourth session of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group on Information and Communications Technologies. ¹¹

Youth for Privacy also held two sessions in Costa Rica as part of RightsCon, a human rights summit that focuses on technology and online rights. ¹²

People

Co-founder Joon Baek graduated from Columbia University studying computer science and physics. He is a software engineer at Google, a California-based multinational technology company and a subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. ¹³

1.  “Workshop — Youth for Privacy.” Youth for Privacy. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.youthforprivacy.org/workshop-sign-up.
2. “Youth for Privacy: Posts.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/company/youthforprivacy/posts/?feedView=all.
3. “About 1—Youth for Privacy.” December 7, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.youthforprivacy.org/our-mission.
4. “On the regulation of online child safety—Youth for Privacy.” July 19, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.youthforprivacy.org/blog/online-child-safety.
5. “FTC Will Require Microsoft to Pay $20 million over Charges it Illegally Collected Personal Information from Children without Their Parents’ Consent.” Federal Trade Commission. June 5, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-will-require-microsoft-pay-20-million-over-charges-it-illegally-collected-personal-information.
6. “Data Values Bootcamp—Youth for Privacy.” March 7, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.youthforprivacy.org/data-values-bootcamp.
7. “Data Values Bootcamp—Youth for Privacy.” March 7, 2023. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.youthforprivacy.org/data-values-bootcamp.
8. “About Us.” World Privacy Forum. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.worldprivacyforum.org/about-us/.
9. “Workshop—Youth for Privacy.” Youth for Privacy. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.youthforprivacy.org/workshop-sign-up.
10. “Youth for Privacy & #Leaders4Tomorrow by UN Office of Disarmament Affairs.” AllEvents.in. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://allevents.in/org/youth-for-privacy-and-leaders4tomorrow-by-un-office-of-disarmament-affairs/20437156.
11. “Youth for Privacy: Posts.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/company/youthforprivacy/posts/?feedView=all.
12. “Youth for Privacy: Posts.” LinkedIn. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/company/youthforprivacy/posts/?feedView=all.
13. “Meet Joon Baek, #Leader4Tomorrow.” Youth 4 Disarmament. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://youth4disarmament.org/meet-joon-baek?language_content_entity=en.