March 31 – April 1, 2023

A Roadmap for Internet Privacy

See Schedule

The internet is an indispensable part of modern life. However, as our lives continue migrating online, we risk exposing our personal data. The ease with which data can be collected and shared poses fundamental privacy challenges: How can we regain control over our data? How can we inform average internet users? How do we balance privacy rights with legitimate goals of governments and companies?

Now is the time to rethink the internet’s architecture. Recent years saw a fervent push towards internet privacy. The W3C and other technical communities are beginning to weave privacy mechanisms into the structure of the internet. But there is a long road ahead. The quest for internet privacy goes beyond the technological questions. Lawmakers and regulators—both in the US and internationally—started providing individuals with effective online privacy rights. Sociologists and psychologists are studying the many consequences wrought upon society by the lack of internet privacy. New, privacy-preserving ad business models are being developed. Tackling the multidimensional privacy problem requires discourse across many different disciplines and participation by all stakeholders in the digital ecosystem.

This year’s seminar will provide a public forum for outlining a fundamental privacy vision for the internet. Panelists and participants will convene to sketch out a roadmap with concrete steps for achieving internet privacy. Register for the 2022–23 Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns and join Wesleyan University’s thought leadership in interdisciplinary liberal arts research towards difficult computational problems that affect society at large. Together, we can shape the future of privacy on the internet.

CONTACT

Please contact Lisa Sacks (lsacks@wesleyan.edu) with questions. 

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel rooms have been reserved at the following location. To receive the special event rate, please use the reference “Shasha” when booking your rooms until 2/24/23:

The Inn at Middletown
70 Main Street
Middletown, Connecticut 06457
(860) 854-6300 

Friday $245/night  

Guests can also book online and receive the discounted rate by following these steps:

  1. Go to innatmiddletown.com
  2. Enter the appropriate dates and number of guests
  3. Enter promo code: shasha