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Jules Polonetsky

Jules Polonetsky

Executive Director and Co-Chair

Future of Privacy Forum

Twitter: @JulesPolonetsky

Jules serves as Executive Director and Co-chair of the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that seeks to advance responsible data practices. FPF is supported by the chief privacy officers of more than 110 leading companies, several foundations, as well as by an advisory board of comprised of the country’s leading academics and advocates. FPF’s current projects focus on Big Data, Mobile, Location, Apps, the Internet of Things, Wearables, De-Identification, Connected Cars and Student Privacy.

Jules previous roles have included serving as Chief Privacy Officer at AOL and before that at DoubleClick, as Consumer Affairs Commissioner for New York City, as an elected New York State Legislator and as a congressional staffer, and as an attorney.

Jules serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Copyright Information. He has served on the boards of a number of privacy and consumer protection organizations including TRUSTe, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and the Network Advertising Initiative. From 2011-2012, Jules served on the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee.

In 2001, Crain’s NY Business magazine named Jules one of the top technology leaders in New York City.

Jules is a regular speaker at privacy and technology events and has testified or presented before Congressional committees and the Federal Trade Commission.

As AOL’s former Chief Privacy Officer and SVP for Consumer Advocacy, Jules was responsible for ensuring that AOL’s users could trust the company with their information and for educating employees about best practices for advertising, content, and product development.

Jules previously served for four years as Vice President, Integrity Assurance, at America Online Inc. The Integrity Assurance team was responsible for a wide range of consumer protection and risk management issues for AOL’s brands (America Online, AIM, Netscape, Compuserve, Mapquest, MoviePhone, Spinner, WinAmp, ICQ, Advertising.com) including privacy, advertising policy, content and community standards, product standards, parental controls, safety and accessibility for users with disabilities.

From March 2000 through April 2002, Jules was Chief Privacy Officer and Special Counsel at DoubleClick, the advertising and marketing technology company that at the time was the largest internet company in New York City. In that role, he worked with DoubleClick clients to institute and police their privacy policies and managed compliance with data protection requirements for DoubleClick subsidiaries world-wide. In his Special Counsel role, Jules oversaw DoubleClick’s government affairs activities and consumer related advertising practices.

From January 1, 1998 until he joined DoubleClick in March 2000, Jules served as Consumer Affairs for the City of New York. As New York City’s chief consumer law enforcement official, Jules was responsible for ensuring that all consumer advertising and sales complied with City, State and Federal consumer protection laws.

Jules served as an elected member of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 1997. From November 1992 through 1993, Jules was a legislative aide to Congressman Charles Schumer and was a District Representative for Congressman Steve Solarz from 1990 to 1992.

Jules practiced law in the New York office of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan from 1989 to 1990. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law and Yeshiva University, and is admitted to the Bars of New York and Washington, D.C. Jules is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional.

Recent Events and Presentations

January 25, 2023

Should Congress Pass President Biden’s Tech Agenda?

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, President Biden outlined an ambitious legislative agenda for Congress to tackle alleged shortcomings of “Big Tech.” The president’s list of priorities includes enacting a federal privacy law, reforming Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and increasing competition in the tech sector.

March 31, 2016

Decoding the Encryption Dilemma: A Conversation on Backdoors, Going Dark, and Cybersecurity

At this event, ITIF will discuss a new report that analyzes the current proposals put forth to address the “going dark” problem. Following a presentation on the report, panelists will offer their reactions and discuss how policymakers can harness the benefits of encryption and put in place policies that both encourage advances in cryptography and protect the rule of law.

March 1, 2016

Regulating Broadband Privacy Under Title II: What Could Go Wrong?

With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considering a rulemaking to create broadband privacy rules, please join ITIF for a panel discussion on the wisdom or folly of sector-specific regulation, how to best balance consumer protections with the value unlocked by data analytics, and the broader context of ongoing changes in both telecommunications and privacy policy.

May 8, 2014

Accelerating Sustainability: Maximizing the Benefits of Connected Cars

Please join ITIF for a policy discussion about the benefits of connected cars on clean energy.

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