[Air-L] ICA pre-conference on Controlling Bits and Systems: The Global Future of Privacy, Technology and Public Policy in AI

[Michael T Zimmer]

Hello, AoIR.

Not to be confused with the iConference pre-conference workshop I recently shared (that’s at https://networkedprivacy2019.wordpress.com/), I’m back to announce an ICA pre-conference on "Controlling Bits and Systems: The Global Future of Privacy, Technology and Public Policy in AI”.

This pre-conference is hosted at the Institute for Technology Law & Policy at Georgetown Law Center, and will be held on May 24, 2019 as part of the International Communication Association’s (ICA) annual conference in Washington, DC.

Details at: https://ica19privacy.wordpress.com/ and below:

Michael


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Controlling Bits and Systems: The Global Future of Privacy, Technology and Public Policy in AI<https://ica19privacy.wordpress.com/>
ICA 2019 Preconference | May 24, 2019 | Washington, DC
Overview

We are hosting a full-day pre-conference workshop on May 24, 2019 as part of the International Communication Association’s (ICA) annual conference<https://www.icahdq.org/page/2019Conference> in Washington, DC. The workshop is co-sponsored by ICA’s Communication & Technology Communication Law & Policy Divisions, the Electronic Information Privacy Center (EPIC), and the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law. Situated in the heart of national policy making, the workshop will be and will be held at the Institute for Technology Law & Policy at Georgetown Law<https://www.georgetowntech.org/>, just steps away from the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall.

The pre-conference will focus on the intersection of privacy, technology, and policy, and will bring together experts from across multiple disciplines to address emerging challenges. In particular, our aim is to unpack the privacy and policy implications of emerging technological AI systems that increasingly pervade our public and private lives. These include algorithmic decision-making, machine learning, big data, and autonomous systems.

Background: Privacy is a central and contested concept in global communication. Over the second half of the 20th century, privacy came to mean control of one’s personal information. Though privacy is never easy no matter its definition and practice, control strains under the weight of the realities of 21st century digital life. International strife around who controls information and how that control leads to power has generated interesting and global discussions. We seek to take advantage of both the location and theme of the conference by: 1) unpacking the perspectives and approaches policymakers and policy actors take, nationally and globally; 2) critique and provoke perspectives and  inspire new angles and outside-the-box thinking; and 3) create plans of action to develop meaningful research in privacy, technology, and public policy that address the emerging landscape of AI systems.

There is significant need and demand for scholarship to help understand and prevent the challenging issues that have presented in the past few years including data privacy and consent in social computing environments, government surveillance, algorithmic bias, and ubiquitous location tracking via mobile devices. This demand is situated within complicated global politics, as well as complex and rapidly changing technical environments. Additionally, there is an ongoing demand from policy makers and legislative professionals to learn from and be guided by emerging research scholarship. Because of overwhelming datafication efforts, privacy today often means digital privacy and cannot be considered without attention to the design, systems, markets, players, and incentives within which privacy is conceptualized and practiced. The event will take meaningful steps toward meeting the demand present in Washington.

This pre-conference will be a cross-disciplinary gathering, addressing both national and global issues in privacy technology policy and law, and co-sponsored by ICA’s Communication & Technology and Communication Law & Policy Divisions, the Electronic Information Privacy Center (EPIC), and the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law. As such, the preconference advances the ICA 2019 conference theme, “Communication Beyond Boundaries,” by furthering cross-disciplinary investigation of privacy, technology, policy and communication, and considering these issues on a global scale.

Participate
To participate in this pre-conference, please submit an application through this Google Form<https://goo.gl/forms/YSyu1z8mCxdi2oB53>. Applications are due by March 1, 2019.

To register for this pre-conference through ICA, follow this link<https://www.icahdq.org/event/ControllingBits_Preconf2019>. Registration for the pre-conference will close on May 3, 2019.

Pre-Conference Details

In this preconference workshop we aim to unpack the privacy and policy implications of emerging technological ecosystems. This year, we will focus specifically on emerging issues in AI systems, including algorithmic decision making, machine learning, big data, and autonomous systems. We will convene a cross-section of policymakers, scholars, journalists, technologists, and advocates to identify key emerging issues and policy needs. We will begin the day with keynotes and panels from invited guests in law and policy, followed by highly interactive discussions of research, and identification of research and policy agendas. All participants will contribute to making this workshop dynamic and fruitful. There are several possible ways to contribute:

  *   Lightning talks: Speakers will provide brief (3-minute) provocations to get attendees to consider, critique, and counter-narrate critical privacy and technology issues in AI, both nationally and globally. Lightning talks focus on one key point within the scope of this pre-conference topics (privacy and policy implications of emerging AI ecosystems –algorithmic decision-making, machine learning, big data, autonomous systems). This can be an idea, successful project, a cautionary story, collaboration invitation, or quick demonstration. Interested speakers should submit one proposal in the participation form. The proposal must include: title, author name, short biography, five keywords, and a short description of the planned talk.
  *   Lunch discussion animators: Animators will facilitate the large group lunch discussion, help to critique challenges, and identify key topics from the lightning talks and panel sessions for further discussion.
  *   Working session group animators: These animators will facilitate discussion among five working groups centering on specific research projects and policy agendas.
  *   Recorders: Recorders are charged with taking notes during the sessions using a shared document.

Registrants are asked use the form below to indicate the role(s) in which they are interested. Please contact us with any questions at privacy at law.georgetown.edu<mailto:privacy at law.georgetown.edu>.


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Michael Zimmer, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Information Studies
Director, Center for Information Policy Research
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

e: zimmerm at uwm.edu<mailto:zimmerm at uwm.edu>
t: @michaelzimmer
w: www.michaelzimmer.org<http://www.michaelzimmer.org>