The Information Technology revolution has produced a data revolution-now commonly referred to as “big data”-in which massive amounts of data can be collected, stored and analyzed at relatively low cost. While the benefits of big data are numerous, from tracking health risks to helping consumers find the lowest prices on goods and services, the emergence of big data has also raised privacy concerns on the part of advocates and government officials. To alleviate these concerns, some are calling for remedies to either restrict or make more transparent how data are collected and used. Speakers at the event will discuss the big data revolution, proposed remedies for privacy concerns and their potential effects, including the findings in the recent paper, “The Big Data Revolution: Privacy Considerations,” authored by TPI’s Thomas Lenard and Paul Rubin.
Press Releases
No Evidence of Privacy Harms from “Big Data”
There is no evidence that the use of “big data” for commercial and other non-surveillance purposes has caused privacy harms according to a new paper, “The Big Data Revolution: Privacy Considerations,” by Technology Policy Institute’s Thomas Lenard and Paul Rubin. Moreover, the familiar remedies embodied in the Fair Information Privacy Practices (FIPPs) are ill-suited to the world of big data and are potentially a serious barrier to much of the innovation we hope to see from the big data revolution.
Stress Cooperation, Not Competition, to Combat “Emporiophobia”
Economists “have committed a fundamental semantic error” by focusing on the term competition and ignoring the cooperative nature of markets, explained TPI senior fellow Paul Rubin in his Presidential Address to the Southern Economic Association this past weekend. By correctly emphasizing cooperation, economists could help combat the “emporiophobia,” or the fear of markets that is prevalent in the general public and current political discourse.
Broadband Stimulus Funds Distribution Inefficient, Incoherent
The National Telecommunications Information Agency process for awarding funds to projects through the $4.7 billion Broadband Technology Opportunities Program was “largely incoherent,” explain Scott Wallsten and Gregory Rosston in “The Broadband Stimulus: A Rural Boondoggle and Missed Opportunity,” released today by the Technology Policy Institute. The selection process failed to provide a means for measuring the expected cost-effectiveness of proposals, and, as a result, was highly inefficient.
Michael Smith Joins TPI as Adjunct Senior Fellow
Michael D. Smith, Professor of Information Systems and Marketing and Co-Director of the Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics at Carnegie Mellon University, has joined the Technology Policy Institute as an Adjunct Senior Fellow. Smith’s research focuses on firm and consumer behavior in online markets – specifically markets for digital information and digital media products. Recent papers authored by Professor Smith and his colleagues include “Piracy and Copyright Enforcement,” and “Gone in 60 Seconds: The Impact of the Megaupload Shutdown on Movie Sales.”
Tomorrow – Patent Reform 2.0: Will Proposed Reforms Address the Patent Troll Problems?
Barely two years after enactment of the first major patent reform legislation in years, serious concerns remain that the patent system, particularly as applied to software, is characterized by wasteful litigation that ultimately is harmful to innovation. Major complaints involve patent assertion entities (PAEs), also known as patent trolls. In response, the Federal Trade Commission has held workshops and issued reports, and the White House has proposed a number of administrative and legislative actions. Congress is poised to act, with a half dozen bills pending.
Time Online Crowds Out Offline Leisure, Work, Sleep
Online leisure crowds out other, offline activities such as offline leisure, work, and sleep, finds Scott Wallsten in “What Are We Not Doing When We’re Online?” released as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Wallsten, TPI Senior Fellow and Vice President for Research, analyzed the 2003 – 2011 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey to determine how online leisure is substituting for other leisure activities, to what extent and how online activities are evolving.
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