In 2014 and 2015, the research company Cambridge Analytica was able to amass a database of information on 87 million Facebook users, based on the survey results of just a few hundred thousand personality quiz participants. The company then used this data to try to get political consulting clients. In her new white paper, Program … Continue reading “Cambridge Analytica and the Meaning of Privacy Harm”

In his new white paper, Are Firms and Consumers Investing Enough in Data Security?, Program on Economics & Privacy affiliated scholar, Sasha Romanosky surveys the cybersecurity terrain and shows the gaps in the tool set used to assess cyber risks and resulting harms in order to answer the question of whether firms and consumers take … Continue reading “Are Firms and Consumers Investing Enough in Data Security?”

The Federal Trade Commission is hosting a series of hearings on Big Data to air and understand our current evidence base. Last week, the hearings on “Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century” were held at American University Washington College of Law. (You can watch the speakers here.) This post will provide a summary … Continue reading “The PEP Report – November 2018”

by Jane Bambauer Welcome to the inaugural PEP Report, an occasional (roughly monthly) roundup of news, research, and events related to privacy and economics. A lot is happening this year, including upcoming public hearings at the FTC on big data and consumer protection and the recent passage of California’s Consumer Privacy Protection Act. Future PEP … Continue reading “The PEP Report – October 2018”

American University College of Law will host the TPRC Research Conference on Communications, Information, and Internet Policy on September 21-22. This is a terrific, multidisciplinary conference. If you are writing a student note or other research paper about Internet policy and would like to attend, please send me an email at jyakowit@gmu.edu. As an academic … Continue reading “Scalia Law Students: An Opportunity to Attend the TPRC Research Conference on Communications, Information, and Internet Policy for Free”

I am honored and excited to carry on the unique work of the Program on Economics & Privacy. PEP is a great match for me because my interest in privacy law grew out of my experience running an economics research program. The research had nothing to do with privacy, but it used quantitative methods and … Continue reading “Greetings from Jane Yakowitz Bambauer, the New Director of PEP”

PEP is excited to pass along a Request for Proposals from the Internet Association for their Internet Economy Research Fellowships. This is ideal for PhD or JD students, dost-docs, or professional researchers. Please click below to read the full announcement.

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 … Continue reading “6th Annual Public Policy Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security”

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 … Continue reading “Third Annual Digital Information Policy Scholars Conference”

In How Consumers Value Digital Privacy: New Survey Evidence, Program on Economics & Privacy affiliated scholar, Professor Caleb Fuller presents new data that sheds light on the “Privacy Paradox.” Regardless of how they define it, few people would deny that they’d like more privacy. The rise of the data-driven economy has thrust privacy issues to … Continue reading “How Consumers Value Digital Privacy: New Survey Evidence “