On Tuesday, December 3 the Program on Economics and Privacy hosted a Public Policy briefing on “Is EU Privacy Regulation Being Exported to the US?”

The EU and the US have distinct approaches to protecting consumer data, but policies like the GDPR and “The Right to Be Forgotten” do not necessarily stop at the border.  Empirical evidence suggests that EU privacy regulation has reduced investment in EU tech firms.  If EU privacy regulations affect how US companies collect and use consumer data, is there a risk that they also could export any negative economic consequences to the US?  Join us for a discussion with leading experts to explore how EU privacy regulation impacts US firms, and what lessons US policymakers should draw from the EU experience.  

The Program on Economics & Privacy, with the support of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project, will hold its 6th Annual Public Policy Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security, on Friday, June 1, 2018 at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, VA.

In the wake of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica affair and recent high-profile data breaches, we are at an inflection point. There are increasing calls to rethink regulation of the digital economy, Congress is considering several bills to overhaul the laws governing the collection and use of consumer data, and the impact of the GDPR will be felt in the US in less than a month. What’s more, a new slate of FTC Commissioners has just started work.

Join us on June 1 for the 6th Annual Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security where we tackle these issues with thought leaders from government, academia, think tanks, and industry.

This year’s symposium will include remarks from the new Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, Andrew Smith.

The symposium will also feature panels on A New Regulatory Regime for Digital Platforms?, Algorithmic “Fairness”, What Does the GDPR Mean for the US?, and Researching Bug Bounty Programs.

Click here to view the agenda.

The Third Annual Digital Information Policy Scholars Conference will be held on Friday, April 27, 2018 at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, Virginia. Registration and breakfast will start at 8:00 am, and the program will begin at 9:00 am. The conference is hosted by the Program on Economics & Privacy whose mission is to promote the sound application of economic analysis to issues surrounding the digital information economy through original research, policy outreach, and education.

The Conference will feature a luncheon keynote from Andrew E. Stivers, Deputy Director for Consumer Protection, Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission.

This conference will feature 12 original research papers, including:

SEC Financial Filings 
Ginger Jin (University of Maryland and National Bureau of Economic Research) and Yi Cao (University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business)

Privacy Literacy and Self-Efficacy in Establishing Value of Privacy
Dmitry Epstein and Kelly Quinn (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Sponsored Search Advertisement and Consumer Prices
Eduardo Schnadower Mustri, Alessandro Acquisti (Carnegie Mellon University), and Idris Adjerid (University of Notre Dame)

Infrastructural Solutions to the Analog Keyhole Problem
David Sidi and Laura Brandimarte (The University of Arizona)

Are Digital Markets Different?
John Newman (University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law)

Airbnb, Anonymity, and Illegal Actors
Liad Wagman (IIT Stuart School of Business)

See the full agenda HERE.

Registration is still open for the 5th Annual Public Policy Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security on Thursday, June 8, 2017 at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School.

The morning keynote will feature Omri Ben-Shahar (The University of Chicago); the luncheon will feature a keynote address from David A. Hyman (Georgetown Law), and a panel discussion on the The Future of FTC Privacy & Data Security Policy featuring Thomas B. Pahl, Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Speakers at the Symposium also include Julie Brill, former FTC Commissioner and partner at Hogan Lovells,  Joshua D. Wright, former FTC Commissioner and professor of law at Antonin Scalia Law School,  William C. MacLeod, former Director  of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, and Chair of the ABA Antitrust Section, and Lydia Parnes, former Director  of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, and partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

The Program on Economics & Privacy, in partnership with the Future of Privacy Forum, and the Journal of Law, Economics & Policy, will hold its 5th Annual Public Policy Conference on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security, on Thursday, June 8, 2017 at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School in Arlington, VA.

Data flows are central to an increasingly large share of the economy. A wide array of products and business models—from the sharing economy and artificial intelligence to autonomous vehicles and embedded medical devices—rely on personal data. Consequently, privacy regulation leaves a large economic footprint. As with any regulatory enterprise, the key to sound data policy is striking a balance between competing interests and norms that leaves consumers better off; finding an approach that addresses privacy concerns, but also supports the benefits of technology is an increasingly complex challenge. Not only is technology continuously advancing, but individual attitudes, expectations, and participation vary greatly. New ideas and approaches to privacy must be identified and developed at the same pace and with the same focus as the technologies they address.

The morning keynote will feature Omri Ben-Shahar (The University of Chicago); the luncheon will feature a keynote address from David A. Hyman (Georgetown Law), and a panel discussion on the The Future of FTC Privacy & Data Security Policy featuring Thomas B. Pahl, Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. This conference will also feature speakers from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), The George Washington University, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.