SafeChat SV, our partner organization, is an influential resource for domestic violence survivors specifically in the Silicon Valley. Domestic violence can be either physical or emotional. Each experience is unique to the survivor. One regulatory agency that focuses on the physical part of domestic violence is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This agency sets the parameters for what qualifies as a “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.” The three stipulations for the offense are: 1) Is a misdemeanor under federal, state, or tribal law 2) Has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon 3) Was committed by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian, or by a person similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim. Additionally, the DEA (United States Drug Enforcement Agency) addresses substance use disorders, specifically during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. One section in a statement towards the St. Louis community states, “The mental health challenges for youth and families in these times not only increases risks for drug misuse but with guns available in homes and not stored securely, there are increased risks for suicides, homicides, domestic violence, and unintentional shootings.” This emphasizes the link between drug misuse or overdosing and domestic violence (along with many other forms of violence). 

      For survivors, it is of the highest priority that they are aware that their live chat feature is confidential. In other words, the advocates have to make clear the guidelines within their online platform. Specifically for our project and partner, SafeChat SV, online digital privacy is extremely important on both ends. These laws can be seen at the state level as well as at a national level. After further research, specifically in the state of California as it relates to the Silicon Valley, there was an act that passed in November 2020 that will go into effect in January 2023 called, “California Consumer Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)” (NCSL, 2022). One main point from this act is the limitation of consumer personal information that a business can access and making the consumer have more choice in their privacy options. 

      The main civic issue our project is targeted towards is domestic violence, however, only mostly within Silicon Valley because our partner’s audience is mainly in Silicon Valley. All three of our project branches seek to alleviate those who suffer from domestic violence by providing them a way to escape from their perpetrators by directly working with SafeChat SV. In order to effectively get rid of domestic violence as a civic issue, “the biggest obstacle to ending the abuse is not a matter of whether the victim chooses to leave, but whether the victim is able to safely escape” (Fisher, 2017). The portability branch of our project correlates to domestic violence survivors’ ability to safely escape since users will be able to access help from the convenience of their phone. The main functionality of their website will guide users on how to navigate the website to gain the help they need efficiently. Finally, the marketing branch reaches out to a wider audience, impacting a larger community as a whole. Within SafeChat SV’s website, our team also needs to consider the data users will be inputting, calling for the need of ethical data privacy practice. Our functionality branch on the main website needs to keep data privacy in mind when handling user information and how data could be manipulated when adding widgets or APIs. 

      A ground-breaking advancement in US privacy law is the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). Labeled Proposition 24, the California Consumer Privacy Rights Act was approved in November 2020 and will be effective January 1, 2023. This new policy increases consumer data privacy regulations within California and allows customers to restrict how sensitive personal information is used. Sensitive personal information includes precise geolocation, race, ethnicity, religion, genetic data, private communications, sexual orientation, and specific health information. In addition, the law gives users the option to choose whether or not their personal information is tracked online across different websites or services over time. Requires the operator of a commercial website or online service to disclose in its privacy policy how it responds to a web browser "Do Not Track" signal or similar mechanisms. Additionally, it mandates that the operator declare whether or not third parties are or might be using its site or service for such tracking. As January 1st, 2023, approaches, SafeChat SV must ensure that its website is compliant with the new legislation that will be passed.

 

 

Works Cited

 

DEA. 13 October, 2021. With You STL. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/with-you-stl on 7 November, 2022

Fromke, E. (2017, July 27). Why domestic violence is a public justice issue. Shared Justice. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.sharedjustice.org/most-recent/2017/7/27/why-domestic-violence-is-a-public-justice-issue 

State Laws Related to Digital Privacy. National Conference of State Legislatures. (2022, June 7). Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/state-laws-related-to-internet-privacy.aspx 

What is a "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence"? | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (n.d.). ATF. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/what-misdemeanor-crime-domestic-violence

 

De La Torre, L. (21 December, 2018). A Guide to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3275571