November Topic: How Technology Will Dictate Our Civic Future with Prof. Latanya Sweeney
5 p.m. EST // 4 p.m. CST // 3 p.m. MST // 2 p.m. PST // 1 p.m. AKST
Presented in partnership with the Leagues of Women Voters of Alaska and Colorado
Professor Sweeney is Professor of the Practice of
Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School and in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Technology Science, founder and director of both the Public Interest Tech Lab and of the Data Privacy Lab, former Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science, Technology and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, Latanya Sweeney has 3 patents, more than 100 academic publications, and her work is explicitly cited in two U.S. regulations, including the U.S. federal medical privacy regulation (known as HIPAA). She is a recipient of the prestigious Louis D. Brandeis Privacy Award, the American Psychiatric Association's Privacy Advocacy Award, an elected fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, and has testified before government bodies worldwide. She earned her PhD in computer science from MIT in 2001; the first Black woman to do so.
Suggested reading:
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When Technology and Society Clash: Latanya Sweeney confronts our all-consuming “technocracy,” Harvard Magazine, November-December, 2024
About the series:
Disinformation. Conspiracy theories. Extremism. Surveillance. Our democracy is threatened as never before by toxic online content. The social media giants seem unable, or in some cases unwilling, to control the flood of lies and manipulative practices. The staggering — often hidden — reach of Big Tech into our lives endangers civil society, our civil rights, and our privacy. In a "post-truth" world we risk losing the shared understanding that underpins our democracy.
Each month, we explore a different facet of this crisis with guest experts. Join us to learn, discuss, and work on possible solutions.