The Program on Economics & Privacy (PEP) and Mason Attorneys General Education Program were pleased to host their Workshop for Attorneys General on the Economics of Information, Advertising, and Privacy, Wednesday, June 7, 2017 through Thursday, June 8, 2017. The Workshop will brought together state attorneys general staff and regulators from throughout the United States to discuss and hear from leading experts on the economics of information on the issues confronting policy makers in the digital economy.

The first day of the Workshop (June 7) was devoted to in-depth instruction on the economics of information, advertising, and privacy. On June 8, attendees took part in PEP’s 5th Annual Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security. In partnership with the Future of Privacy Forum and the Journal of Law, Economics & Policy, the symposium explored the development of a benefit-cost framework for privacy and cybersecurity policy. Scholars from interdisciplinary backgrounds, including economics, law, public policy, business and marketing, addressed topics such as: How to evaluate the success of data control programs; the proper role of ex ante regulation versus ex post enforcement; and the proper accounting of subjective privacy harms as well as the benefits from tailored content and advertising.