FTC Announces Third PrivacyCon, Calls for Presentations

Building on the success of its two previous PrivacyCon events, the Federal Trade Commission is announcing a call for presentations for its third PrivacyCon, which will take place on February 28, 2018.

The 2018 PrivacyCon will expand collaboration among leading privacy and security researchers, academics, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the government. As part of this initiative, the FTC is seeking general research that explores the privacy and security implications of emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and virtual reality. The 2018 event will focus on the economics of privacy including how to quantify the harms that result from companies’ failure to secure consumer information, and how to balance the costs and benefits of privacy-protective technologies and practices.

“Deepening the FTC’s understanding of the economics of privacy and consumer harm in the context of information exposure is integral to the FTC’s enforcement and educational efforts,” said Acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen. “I have made studying the economics of privacy a centerpiece of my consumer protection agenda, and I hope that PrivacyCon 2018 will highlight important research in this area.”

The call for presentations seeks research and input on a wide range of issues and questions to build on previously presented research and promote discussion, including:

• What are the greatest threats to consumer privacy today? What are the costs of mitigating these threats? How are the threats evolving? How does the evolving nature of the threats impact consumer welfare and the costs of mitigation?
• How can companies weigh the costs and benefits of security-by-design techniques and privacy-protective technologies and behaviors? How can companies weigh the costs and benefits of individual tools or practices?
• How can companies assess consumers’ privacy preferences?
• Are there market failures (e.g. information asymmetries, externalities) in the area of privacy and data security? If so, what tools and strategies can businesses or consumers use to overcome or mitigate those failures? How can policymakers address those failures?

Submissions for PrivacyCon must be made by November 17, 2017.

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