The Program on Economics & Privacy (PEP) at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School invites applications for the 2017-18 Privacy Scholars Fellowship Program. The Privacy Scholars Fellowship Program is designed to support research on the economics of privacy and data security. Total honorarium payments of $12,000 per paper will be available to those who complete all stages of the program. The PEP will provide lodging and meals at all events, but participants will be responsible for their own transportation arrangements and expenses.

The Fellowship Program is structured in five stages that are designed to lead to the completion of an original piece of scholarly work suitable for publication.

1. Submission of Research Proposal – Submission Deadline of October 13, 2017: Research proposals should include a statement of issue to be addressed, the proposed methodology, as well as a discussion of the feasibility for completion by Summer 2018. Proposals should be no longer than five pages (not including charts, graphs, or bibliography). The PEP will notify those chosen to present a more fully developed draft at the December roundtable by October 23, 2017. Those authors chosen to present will be provided an honorarium of $3,000 after attending the December roundtable. The selection committee includes: Alessandro Acquisti (Carnegie Mellon), Jane Bambauer (University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law), Michael Baye (Indiana University, Kelley School of Business), James Cooper (George Mason University, Antonin Scalia Law School), Andrew Stivers (Federal Trade Commission), and Catherine Tucker (MIT, Sloan School of Management).

2. Research Roundtable at Antonin Scalia Law School (December 14-15, 2017): Selected authors will present expanded drafts at a research roundtable to be held at Antonin Scalia Law School on December 14-15, 2017. Revised drafts should be no more than 25 pages (excluding charts, graphs, and bibliography), and represent substantial work beyond the proposal (e.g., preliminary statistical results). This research roundtable is a workshop designed to provide authors with constructive feedback from expert academics and practitioners in the field. The PEP will make final decisions on which research it will support with a Privacy Scholars Fellowship by December 18, 2017.

3. First Draft (February 16, 2018): Each Fellowship recipient is required to submit a First Draft of his or her paper by February 16, 2018. These drafts should be substantially revised based on feedback from the December research roundtable, and should provide reviewers with a clear sense of the approach and direction of the paper. Each First Draft will be subjected to anonymous peer review designed to provide constructive feedback. Comments will be sent to Fellowship recipients in early March. Fellowship recipients will receive an honorarium of $3,000 for timely submission.

4. Presentation of Second Draft at Digital Information Policy Scholars Conference at Antonin Scalia Law School (April 27, 2018): Privacy Fellows will submit a revised draft of their paper that responds to comments from peer reviewers for the Third Annual Digital Information Policy Scholars Conference, to be held on April 27, 2018 at Antonin Scalia Law School. Fellowship recipients will present revised drafts of their papers and serve as a discussant for one paper during the conference. Fellowship recipients successfully participating in the Scholars Conference will receive an honorarium of $3,000.

5. Completion of Final Draft and Submission to an Academic Journal (Summer 2018): Following presentation at the Scholars Conference, Fellowship recipients are expected to revise their paper and to seek publication in a suitable academic journal. Upon completion of this requirement, Fellowship recipients will receive a final honorarium of $3,000.

Empirical projects are strongly preferred to theoretical or doctrinal research. Topics of special interest include the following:

Program on Economics & Privacy affiliated faculty member, Professor Jane Bambauer, explores the recent developments in biometric privacy laws in her latest paper, “Biometric Privacy Laws: How a Little-Known Illinois Law Made Facebook Illegal.”

Banks and retailers are increasingly interested in using biometric information to authenticate customers by converting a scan of their biological features into an elaborate password.

The benefits of biometric authentication are obvious, but so are the drawbacks: since the systems use scans of irises, fingers, and even facial structures, a user’s biometric passwords are on public display every time they leave the house. Some states have passed biometric privacy laws to help facilitate the development of biometric authentication technologies. But these well-intentioned biometric privacy laws showcase the problems that arise when public policy tries to keep up with technology.

They are wildly overbroad, potentially exposing even individual users of basic photo organization software to civil liability based on conduct that poses no risk to data security. What is more, the laws are also unlikely to be necessary to accomplish their intended goals; companies that are developing biometric authentication systems to protect sensitive personal data are already using technological solutions to manage the security risks, rendering the legal solutions obsolete. Finally, their scope possibly contravenes the First Amendment and the Dormant Commerce Clause.

Although the purpose of these nascent laws is laudable, so far they appear to have only spurred class action litigation that is likely to harm, rather than help, the interests of the average consumer.

Read the full paper 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 (PEP) and Mason Attorneys General Education Program are pleased to announce their upcoming Workshop for Attorneys General on the Economics of Information, Advertising, and Privacy, Wednesday, June 7, 2017 through Thursday, June 8, 2017. The Workshop will bring 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) will be devoted to in-depth instruction on the economics of information, advertising, and privacy. On June 8, attendees will take 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, this year’s symposium will explore the development of a benefit-cost framework for privacy and cybersecurity policy. Scholars from interdisciplinary backgrounds, including economics, law, public policy, business and marketing, will address 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.

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.

Click here to register.

The Program on Economics & Privacy at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School and the Future of Privacy Forum are seeking papers to explore the development of a benefit-cost framework in privacy policy. Scholars from an interdisciplinary background, including economics, law, public policy, business and marketing, are encouraged to submit abstracts for consideration.

Selected submissions will be presented at the Fifth Annual Public Policy Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security Policy, on June 8, 2017, at the Antonin Scalia Law School, and published in a special symposium issue of the Journal of Law, Economics & Policy.

Click here for more information and to learn how to submit your paper.

Anonymity, Autonomy, and the Collection of Personal Data: Measuring the Privacy Impact of Google’s 2012 Privacy Policy Change

James Cooper
George Mason University – Antonin Scalia Law School, Faculty

The Missing Role of Economics in FTC Privacy Policy

James Cooper
George Mason University – Antonin Scalia Law School, Faculty

Joshua D. Wright
George Mason University – Antonin Scalia Law School, Faculty

 

 

 

On Monday, PEP Director Professor James Cooper had the opportunity to join other privacy experts in a discussion on the proper role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in enforcement of privacy rules. Professor Cooper was joined by Maggie Reardon, Senior Writer at CNET; Christin McMeley, Partner and Chair of the Privacy and Security Practice at Davis Wright Tremaine; Marc Rotenberg, President and Executive Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC); Tim Sparapani, Senior Policy Fellow at CALinnovates; and Berin Szóka, President of Tech Freedom.

You can view the discussion in its entirety below: