1984+30: Navigating Privacy Threats and Protections in the Digital Age

Monday, October 6, 2014
8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Lecture Hall
1947 Center Street, Sixth Floor
Berkeley, California 94704

In 1984, George Orwell describes a dystopian society in which everything citizens do is monitored by the all-seeing eyes of Big Brother. Thirty years after 1984, we find ourselves surrounded by threats to our privacy. Is there anything to be done? And if so, what?

ICSI invites you to join us and our colleagues from academia and industry as we discuss privacy in the digital age. Please register on Eventbrite.

We are now soliciting posters and demos that present results or ongoing work on online privacy or the impact of information technology on privacy in general. Posters and demos must be submitted by Friday, September 26. Submit now.

Schedule

08:30 - 09:00  Breakfast
09:00 - 09:10  Introduction
09:10 - 10:40  Panel 1: Is online privacy a myth?
10:40 - 11:00  Coffee break
11:00 - 12:30  Panel 2: Is it possible to use technology to protect our privacy?
12:30 - 14:00  Lunch and posters / demos available

15:00 - 18:30  Berkeley Center for Law and Technology's 7th Annual Privacy Lecture: Professor Ross Anderson, "Privacy versus Government Surveillance: Where Network Effects Meet Public Choice." For more information, see:

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/16681.htm

9:10 - 10:40   Panel 1: Is online privacy a myth?

Panelists: 

  • Tom Lowenthal, Technologist, Committee to Protect Journalists
  • Sid Stamm, Lead Privacy Engineer, Mozilla
  • Nicholas Weaver, Senior Researcher, Networking and Security, ICSI
  • Ross Anderson, Professor, University of Cambridge

Moderator: Bob MacMillan, Senior Writer, WIRED

Description: We face thousands of threats to our privacy every day without even realizing it. This panel takes an in-depth look at some of the ways that our electronic data is at risk. Topics include online tracking, NSA surveillance, and how hackers can access personal information through almost anything web-enabled, including mobile apps.

11:00 - 12:30   Panel 2: Is it possible to use technology to protect our privacy?

Panelists:

  • Gerald Friedland, Director, Audio and Multimedia, ICSI
  • Roger Dingledine, Project Leader, Director, Researcher, Original Developer, Tor
  • Serge Egelman, Senior Researcher, Networking and Security, ICSI
  • Aleecia McDonald, Director of Privacy, Stanford Center for Internet and Society

Moderator: Chris Hoofnagle, UC Berkeley/ICIR

Description: Is it possible to use technology to protect your identity and minimize privacy threats? Even tools once thought impenetrable, like Tor, have vulnerabilities. In this panel, privacy and security experts will discuss the capabilities and limitations of privacy-guarding tools, how you can use them to protect yourself and better understand the risks of engaging online, as well as ongoing research to improve online privacy.

12:30 - 14:00   Posters / Demos available

Through Friday, September 26, we are soliciting submissions of posters and demos that present results or ongoing work on online privacy or the impact of information technology on privacy in general. Submit yours here.