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Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Forum on Data Privacy

Thursday, March 24, 2016, at 8:00am 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT’s Building 10 (the Great Dome), Room 250

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is pleased to join with the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and TechNet to host a Forum on Data Privacy.  The event takes place on Thursday, March 24, 2016, from 8:30 am until 12:00 pm, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ray and Maria Stat Center, Kirsch Auditorium, Room 32-123, in Cambridge, MA

Access to consumer data allows businesses to better serve their customers and to develop and deliver transformative products and services. However, unpredictable, unclear, or ineffectual privacy rules and protections threaten the trust, goodwill, and ultimately the investment necessary to support a robust, data-driven economy.

Learn more about the event.


The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is committed to working with all stakeholders to promote innovation, competition, and consumer privacy. To inform our consideration of these important issues, the AG's office, Berkman Center, and our co-hosts invite participants to join us in shaping a new partnership with a candid exchange of ideas and concerns.

In advance of this meeting the AG's office is particularly interested in hearing your perspectives regarding the following issues.

  1. Do innovative technologies and methods by which businesses collect, share, and use consumer data (e.g. Internet of Things, Big Data, mobile devices/applications, cloud computing) create privacy concerns or compliance challenges? If so, how could these concerns or challenges be resolved or overcome?
     
  2. Is there a need for more definitive rules or guidance from government or self-regulatory bodies regarding the commercial collection, use, and protection of consumer data? If so, what rules or guidance should be put forth?
     
  3. As experts on consumer privacy issues or as participants in data-driven businesses, are there problematic business practices you observe that threaten consumer privacy?
     
  4. Could the Massachusetts Data Breach Notification Act (Mass. Gen. Law c. 93H) be amended to better promote consumer privacy in light of changing technologies? If so, how?

If you would like to respond, please reply in writing by Friday, December 11th to dataprivacy@state.ma.us.

We are currently in the process of developing a forum agenda and panel composition, which will be informed by responses to the questions above. If you are interested in participating or have recommendations for speakers, please contact Assistant Attorneys General Sara Cable (617.963.2827) or Mike Firestone (617.963.2027) or email dataprivacy@state.ma.us. RSVP information to follow.

Please note that all submissions may become part of the public record and subject to public disclosure. We look forward to hearing from you.

Past Event
Mar 24, 2016
Time
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM