Information technology lets people learn about one another on a scale previously unimaginable. Information in the wrong hands can be harmful. Scholars on this site consider problems of privacy, fraud, identity, and security posed by the digital age.
"A billion isn't what it used to be. The problem with Facebook writing a check is that it’s the cost of doing business and not a deterrent." — William Kovacic, Professor of Law, George Washington University
"Our choice architectures are just completely muddled and clouded by the little tricks companies play to get you to consent, even though you may not want to." — Paul Ohm, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
"The fact is that if you want to target political advertisements precisely to move voters who have expressed interest in particular issues or share certain interests, there is an ideal tool to use that does not rely on pseudoscience. It’s called Facebook." — Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia
"Filing false info with the FTC and other regulators can be criminally prosecuted. Under other statutes, there is sometimes a specific standard articulated for personal liability. A great deal will have to do with Zuckerberg’s personal direction of decisions." — Chris Hoofnagle, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
"When you look at the ways that WhatsApp has been abused and hijacked in India and Brazil, it’s clear that it’s a powerful engine for spreading dangerous propaganda. It’s also clear that there’s not much Facebook can do about that, because all the messages are encrypted. Facebook can’t measure the problem or filter for the problem." — Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia
This article explores privacy issues inherent in social media platforms, specifically Facebook; and examines legislative and corporate efforts to balance securing users’ personal data with the business of big data. Law professors Fred Cate, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Lior Strahilevitz, University of Chicago Law School, and Joel Reidenberg, Fordham University, are quoted.
"We've always been sloppy when it comes to data security and the hackers are finding creative new ways to exploit that. We are definitely seeing attacks that focus on the human element, both at the individual level — new forms of phishing attacks — but also at the enterprise level — humans making mistakes that allow for a large-scale breach." — Lorrie Faith Cranor, Privacy and Cybersecurity expert, Carnegie Mellon University
"We’re entering this world where sellers can so deeply interfere with users and their devices that we may live to regret that." — Chris Hoofnagle, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
"This is the first piece of legislation that I’ve seen that really takes facial recognition technology as seriously as it is warranted and treats it as uniquely dangerous." — Woodrow Hartzog, Professor of Law, Northeastern University
The technique Facebook used to bypass Apple’s App Store, called a root certificate, is "a really invasive solution to the problem Facebook was trying to solve. It opens up a lot of potential security risks. And I don’t know the full range of all of them." — Eric Goldman, Professor of Law, Santa Clara University
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TAP Academics
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TAP Blog
Introduction to recent books by TAP scholars that examine issues about privacy, AI, patents, antitrust, national security, and cloud computing.
January 11, 2022
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February 9, 2022,
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February 24, 2022, East Palo Alto, CA
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March 24, 2022,
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Fact Sheets
Social networking websites are places on the Internet where people can connect with those who share their interests. Additionally, they can function as economic “platforms” that serve different groups of many users, including consumers, advertisers, game developers, and others.
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Featured Article
Increasingly, employers use applications and wearable technologies to monitor employees at work. Monitoring systems raise new legal issues related to privacy rights, discrimination, and worker safety.
August 14, 2019
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