Colorado Senator Mark Udall will offer welcoming remarks at the Technology Policy Institute’s Aspen Forum, scheduled for August 21-23. Senator Udall, elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008 after serving five terms as Representative of Colorado’s 2nd district, has worked to promote the development of Colorado’s aerospace industry, and the clean energy and high technology sectors. Senator Udall currently serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Miscellaneous
Aspen Panel: Information and Privacy: In Search of a Data-Driven Policy
Data privacy raises issues that are central to the health of the Internet ecosystem and will be a major focus of this year’s TPI Aspen Forum. While proposals have emanated from the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, and Congress, few data exist on the nature and extent of the problem and how proposed privacy regulations would impact consumers. Distinguished speakers from academia, government and industry will debate the future of privacy policy during the discussion panel, “Information and Privacy: In Search of a Data-Driven Policy.” The TPI Aspen Forum is scheduled for August 21 – 23 in Aspen, Colorado.
Little Risk of Re-Identification through Health Data
Properly anonymized health data pose little risk of patient identification, state Jane Yakowitz and Daniel Barth-Jones in “The Illusory Privacy Problem in Sorrell v. IMS Health,” published today by the Technology Policy Institute. Moreover, if the Department of Health and Human Services were to abandon the distinction between personally identifiable and anonymized data (as the Federal Trade Commission has done in its recent report) “the result would be nothing short of disastrous for health care improvements and medical research,” according to the authors.
Improving ICANN’s Governance and Accountability: A Policy Proposal
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has control over extremely important aspects of the Internet. Yet, its non-profit corporation status, combined with the way that it is funded and governed, make accountability a serious problem. This paper draws on the accountability framework that has been developed by Mueller (2009) to evaluate the structure and governance of ICANN and then compares it to the structure and governance of a number of other organizations that perform a roughly comparable range of coordination and standard-setting functions, to explore what might be applicable to ICANN. Virtually all of these other organizations are governed by their direct users, thereby building accountability into their structures. We suggest that this would be a good model for ICANN as well.
ICANN Should Move Toward Greater Private Sector Accountability
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers should be more accountable to its private sector users, state Thomas Lenard and Lawrence White in �Improving ICANN’s Governance and Accountability: A Policy Proposal,� published in the latest issue of Information Economics and Policy. Instead of increased government involvement, as some have been advocating, Lenard and White recommend ICANN be governed by its direct users, the registries and registrars, as a way of improving accountability, a longstanding issue with ICANN.
Best Practices in Tax Administration: Comments to Senate Finance Committee
The issue of government-prepared tax returns was discussed during the April 12,…
Comments filed with the Senate Committee on Finance on “Best Practices in Tax Administration: A Look Across the Globe”
Attachments Comments filed with the Senate Committee on Finance on “Best Practices…
Tech Entrepreneur Peter Thiel to Speak at TPI Aspen Forum
Peter Thiel, technology entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, will join other notable keynote speakers at the Technology Policy Institute’s 2011 Aspen Forum, scheduled for August 21 – 23. Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and investor in such tech companies as Facebook, LinkedIn, and SpaceX, is expected to share his perspective on the current economy and the environment for innovation in the technology sector.
TPI Aspen Forum Preview Agenda Now Available
A preview agenda is now available for the Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum, scheduled this year for August 21 – 23. Confirmed keynote speakers include Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, Chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Dale Jorgenson, Samuel W. Morris University Professor at Harvard University, and Mark McLaughlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Verisign.
TPI Aspen Forum Registration Now Open
Online registration is now open for the Technology Policy Institute Aspen Forum, scheduled for August 21 – 23.