Privacy is one of the most important concepts of our time, yet it is also one of the most elusive. As rapidly changing technology makes information more and more available, scholars, activists, and policymakers have struggled to define privacy, with many conceding that the task is virtually impossible. Yet "privacy policies" play an essential role in determining the technical requirements of databases, website infrastructure development, and other aspects of software engineering.
Daniel will discuss his latest book, Understanding Privacy, and offer a comprehensive overview of the difficulties involved in discussions of privacy. He argues that no single definition can be workable, but rather that there are multiple forms of privacy, related to one another by family resemblances. His theory bridges cultural differences and addresses historical changes in views on privacy. IT professionals will find his framework thought-provoking and meaningful as they face their on-the-job challenges of protecting personal data while also making it more accessible for the online services that improve our lives.
If you were unable to attend the lecture, the New America Foundation has made the video recording available online at the URL below:
"With the publication of Understanding Privacy, Daniel J. Solove has firmly established himself as one of America's leading intellectuals in the field of information policy and cyberlaw. . . Solove has now elevated himself to that rarefied air of "people worth watching" in the cyberlaw field; an intellectual -- like Lawrence Lessig or Jonathan Zittrain -- whose every publication becomes something of an event in the field to which all eyes turn upon release. . . Make no doubt about it, Daniel Solove's book -- and his approach to classifying and dealing with privacy problems -- will have a profound impact on all future privacy debates. In that sense, it is a vital text; a must read for all who follow, or engage in, privacy debates."
-- Adam Thierer, Technology Liberation Front
"[C]ompelling . . . [H[as the potential to influence the way that the courts, firms, and marketers think about privacy. Understanding Privacy is thoroughly researched and grounded in legal theory, yet it offers a pragmatic and straightforward approach for describing privacy harms . . . [T]he book is clearly written, well structured, and filled with interesting legal cases."
George R. Milne, American Marketing Association
"If you work in privacy or data protection either from a technology or policy perspective, you need to read this book and understand Solove's approach."
-- Adam Shostack, Emergent Chaos
"[Solove] has tried to capture the byzantine complexities of modern privacy. . . . Going beyond simple definitions such as the divulging of a secret, Solove has developed a taxonomy of privacy, and the harms that result from their violation. . . . Solove's goal is to provide a coherent and comprehensive understanding of what is traditionally an elusive and hard-to-explain concept: privacy violations."
-- Bruce Schneier, Wired