What Electronic Privacy Information Center does

EPIC is a nonprofit public interest research center headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 1994 to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age. The organization engages in policy research, amicus briefs, public education, litigation, publications, and advocacy across nine programmatic areas: AI & Human Rights, Consumer Privacy, Cybersecurity, Data Protection, Democracy & Free Speech, Open Government, Platform Accountability & Governance, Privacy Laws, and Surveillance Oversight. EPIC serves the general public and privacy advocates as its primary audience, with secondary audiences including federal and state policymakers, legislators, academic researchers, and journalists who rely on EPIC's digital library, testimony, and FOIA materials as primary sources.

EPIC's deliverables are content- and advocacy-driven rather than technology-product-driven. Core outputs include the EPIC Alert monthly newsletter, a digital library of legal documents, targeted research reports (e.g., "Beyond HIPAA" on health data privacy, "Liberty at Risk" on pre-trial risk assessment tools, "Good Luck Opting Out" on manipulative design patterns in 38 major companies), and model legislation such as the People-First Chatbot Bill developed jointly with Consumer Federation of America and Fairplay. The organization maintains an active litigation docket, with recent federal wins including the ruling against the Trump administration's SAVE voter database expansion and ongoing actions including NACA v. RentGrow and FOIA litigation against CISA. EPIC is led by Executive Director and President Alan Butler, with senior counsel directing specialized programs (Calli Schroeder on AI & Human Rights, Megan Iorio on Platform Governance, Sara Geoghegan on Consumer Privacy) and a policy director (Caitriona Fitzgerald) shaping AI policy positions. Board governance is chaired by Deborah Hurley.

As a 501(c)(3) public interest organization, EPIC is funded through individual donations and grants rather than commercial sales of products or services; no commercial pricing model exists. Current fundraising includes a "Stop the Surveillance State" campaign targeting $1,000,000 by June 2026 to support litigation strategies, lobbying, and surveillance database development. EPIC amplifies its reach through coalition partnerships with organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, ACLU, League of Women Voters, Consumer Federation of America, Fairplay, and Center for Digital Democracy, with a 70+ organization endorsement footprint on model legislation. Distribution is digital-first via epic.org, supplemented by the EPIC Alert newsletter, media engagement, annual events such as Champions of Freedom, and a social media presence on Facebook, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.

Name

Electronic Privacy Information Center

Legal name

Electronic Privacy Information Center

Website

https://epic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPIC is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit public interest research center founded in 1994 that conducts policy research, litigation, and advocacy to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values through coalition partnerships and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Research

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)

Keywords

• Public interest research
• Privacy advocacy
• Consumer protection
• Civil liberties policy
• Government transparency

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EPIC is a public interest research center that conducts policy research, publishes reports, files litigation and amicus briefs, and runs advocacy campaigns on privacy, civil liberties, AI accountability, consumer protection, and government transparency. Its substantive deliverables include in-depth research reports, model legislation, the EPIC Alert newsletter, and a public digital library, all made available to policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the general public.

Product overview

EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, DC that engages in policy research, amicus briefs, public education, litigation, publications, and advocacy to promote privacy in the digital age. Rather than offering a unified software product, EPIC provides research publications (such as the Beyond HIPAA health privacy report, Liberty at Risk pre-trial risk assessment report, and manipulative design patterns report), advocacy resources (including the Stop the Surveillance State campaign), a comprehensive digital library of legal documents, and the EPIC Alert monthly newsletter. EPIC also develops model legislation like the People-First Chatbot Bill. The organization's work spans AI & Human Rights, Consumer Privacy, Cybersecurity, Data Protection, Democracy & Free Speech, Open Government, Platform Accountability & Governance, Privacy Laws, and Surveillance Oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EPIC Digital Library

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully blocked Trump administration's SAVE voter database expansion
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026Coalition partner in advocacy efforts including the joint letter to the FTC urging rejection of X Corp's petition to escape privacy oversight. EPIC and EFF have long collaborated on digital rights advocacy.
• League of Women VoterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiffs in federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's SAVE system as an illegal national citizenship database. League of Women Voters and EPIC have filed multiple lawsuits together to protect privacy and voting rights.
• Consumer Federation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of the People-First Model Chatbot Bill released in early 2026. Both organizations collaborated to develop comprehensive framework for chatbot regulation.
• FairplaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of the People-First Model Chatbot Bill with Consumer Federation of America. Coalition of 70+ organizations endorsing the model legislation.
• Center for Digital DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in sending letter to FTC urging revision of COPPA enforcement policy statement on age verification. Joint advocacy for stronger privacy protections for children.
• ACLUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMore than 70 civil liberties and advocacy groups including ACLU and EPIC urged Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to abandon planned facial-recognition features on smart glasses.
• Alaska Black CaucusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-plaintiff with League of Women Voters of Alaska in lawsuit alleging unconstitutional sharing of voter data with DOJ.
• Consumer Federation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlong with EPIC and Fairplay, released People-First Chatbot Bill to address growing privacy concerns around AI chatbots.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Electronic Frontier Foundation: EFF is the closest direct peer to EPIC: a San Francisco-based nonprofit that engages in litigation, policy analysis, and advocacy on digital civil liberties, including privacy, free expression, and government surveillance. EPIC and EFF regularly co-lead coalitions (e.g., the joint FTC letter against X Corp), making them the two flagship digital rights organizations in the US.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): ACLU is a direct peer in the broader civil liberties space, with significant overlap on surveillance, free speech, voting rights, and privacy litigation. EPIC has partnered with ACLU on issues like Meta's facial-recognition smart glasses, and ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project operates in highly adjacent territory.
• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): CDT is a direct peer as a Washington, DC-based nonprofit think tank focused on internet and technology policy, including privacy, free expression, and platform governance. CDT engages in similar policy research, congressional testimony, and coalition advocacy on overlapping issues such as AI, surveillance, and Section 230 reform.
• Public Knowledge: Public Knowledge is a DC-based public interest advocacy organization working on telecommunications, copyright, and digital rights. It shares EPIC's policy research, litigation, and coalition-advocacy model on overlapping issues like platform governance, privacy, and open internet.
• Future of Privacy Forum (FPF): FPF is a direct peer as a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that serves as a think tank and resource center on privacy and data protection, producing research and convening stakeholders on AI, consumer privacy, and youth data protection, where EPIC also has active programs.
• Fight for the Future: Fight for the Future is a direct peer grassroots digital rights advocacy organization focused on issues like net neutrality, surveillance, facial recognition, and AI accountability. It uses similar online campaigns, coalition mobilization, and policy advocacy as EPIC.
• Center for Digital Democracy (CDD): CDD is a direct peer as a DC-based nonprofit advocating for consumer privacy protections in the digital age, particularly around data brokers, targeted advertising, and children's privacy. EPIC and CDD have partnered on FTC complaints regarding COPPA enforcement.
• Consumer Federation of America (CFA): CFA is a direct peer nonprofit association of consumer advocacy groups that engages in research, advocacy, and litigation on consumer issues including privacy. EPIC co-developed the People-First Chatbot Bill with CFA, reflecting highly overlapping missions and tactics.

Regional players

• Privacy International: Privacy International is a UK-based nonprofit that investigates and challenges government and corporate surveillance. It is a regional peer: similar privacy watchdog mission and litigation/advocacy tactics but operating primarily in the UK and Europe rather than the US federal policy arena where EPIC is focused.

Broad incumbents

• Consumer Reports: Consumer Reports is a broad incumbent in consumer advocacy with significant privacy and digital rights work (the Digital Lab and Innovation Lab). It overlaps with EPIC on data broker investigations, manipulative design patterns, and privacy policy advocacy, but operates as a much larger membership-supported testing and advocacy organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/epicprivacy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/electronic-privacy-information-center
• Xx.com/EPICprivacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Electronic Privacy Information Center