The revelation of the Cambridge Analytica scandal marked a tipping point in policy debates around Big Data, but while new regulations seem inevitable, the path of American privacy and data security law is still uncertain. How should lawmakers respond to the mounting public distrust of the digital economy? This year’s annual public policy symposium will harvest the insights from empirical research in order to better understand the nature of modern privacy risks as well as the risks of potential government interventions. Our distinguished speakers will comment on the likely impact of proposed omnibus privacy bills that have been circulating in Congress as well as the practical challenges of protecting personal data in specific contexts such as health, policing, and the U.S. Census.

The Symposium included a morning fireside chat with FTC Deputy Director Andrew Stivers and former FTC attorneys Neil Chilson and Svetlana Gans. The Symposium also featured a luncheon keynote from Harvard Law’s Yochai Benkler.