Businesses are rushing to collect personal data to fuel surging demand. Data enthusiasts claim personal information that's obtained from the commercial internet, including mobile platforms, social networks, cloud computing, and connected devices, will unlock path-breaking innovation, including advanced data security. By contrast, regulators and activists contend that corporate data practices too often disempower consumers by creating privacy harms and related problems. As the Internet of Things matures and facial recognition, predictive analytics, big data, and wearable tracking grow in power, scale, and scope, a controversial ecosystem will exacerbate the acrimony over commercial data capture and analysis.
The only productive way forward is to get a grip on the key problems right now and change the conversation. That's exactly what Jules Polonetsky, Omer Tene, and Evan Selinger do. They bring together diverse views from leading academics, business leaders, and policymakers to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the new data economy.
About the Authors
Evan Selinger is Professor of Philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he is also the Head of Research Communications, Community, and Ethics at the Center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction, and Creativity. Evan is also a Senior Fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum. His most recent book, co-written with Brett Frischmann, is Re-Engineering Humanity (Cambridge, forthcoming). Selinger's primary research is on the ethical and privacy dimensions of emerging technology. A strong advocate of public philosophy, he regularly writes for magazines, newspapers, and blogs, including The Guardian, The Atlantic, Slate, and Wired.
Jules Polonetsky serves as CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), a non-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for privacy leadership and scholarship, advancing principled data practices in support of emerging technologies. FPF is supported by the chief privacy officers of more than 130 leading companies, several foundations, as well as by an advisory board comprised of the country's leading academics and advocates. Polonetsky's previous roles have included serving as Chief Privacy Officer at AOL and before that at DoubleClick, as Consumer Affairs Commissioner for New York City, as an elected New York State Legislator, and as an attorney.
Omer Tene is Vice President of Research and Education at the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He is a consultant to governments, regulatory agencies and businesses on privacy, cybersecurity and data management. He is an Affiliate Scholar at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society and a Senior Fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum. He comes from Israel where he was a Professor at the College of Management School of Law, Israel.
Industry Reviews
'Advances in digital technology, mobile platforms, social networks, and cloud computing are producing massive amounts of data that promise to unlock a generation of innovation, but at what cost to privacy? Jules Polonetsky, Omer Tene, and Evan Selinger bring together a diverse set of important voices from leading academics, business leaders, and policymakers to discuss the opportunities and challenges of this new data economy.' Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft
'This is a remarkably useful book, both as a reference tome and as a collection of insights into the future. The wide array of distinguished authors from the public, regulatory, and private sectors, as well as academia in both the US and Europe, cover most of the aspects of current consumer-privacy challenges. It is a milestone in privacy scholarship and a must-read for anyone concerned about the future trends in this area.' Jennifer Stoddart, former Privacy Commissioner of Canada
'For a well-rounded and deeply-informed discussion of the pressing consumer privacy issues of our time, read The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Privacy. This volume is a rare find. It brings together thought leaders from business, government, and different disciplines in academia to explore challenges attending our information society and offer potential solutions. A must read.' Danielle Citron, Morton and Sophia Macht Professor of Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
'The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Privacy is a magnificent collection of essays - each one short, engaging, and thought-provoking. The broad range of topics covers the most important and vital issues in consumer privacy, and these essays will be relevant for years to come. The authors are a superb assembly of the leading scholars and practitioners from diverse fields and perspectives. This book is a true feast of ideas.' Daniel J. Solove, John Marshall Harlan Research Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School, and author of Understanding Privacy
'Editors Selinger (Rochester Institute of Technology), Polonetsky (Future of Privacy Forum) and Tene (International Association of Privacy Professionals) have curated a timely and diverse series of 32 essays focused on the exponentially expanding areas of consumer-generated big data, the internet of things, and subsequent privacy concerns ... most essays include extensive bibliographies and references linking interested readers to applicable legislation, media coverage, and scholarly literature surrounding the essay topic. Subsequently, this text will be useful in a reference or subject collection.' L. Goode, Choice
'Without exception, each contribution to this collection is extremely well written and researched, providing high-quality analysis and commentary of the various issues tackled by the contributors. The fact that it is written by a mixture of authors, from a variety of backgrounds, adds to its rich and comprehensive coverage of this area.' Peter Coe, Computer and Telecommunications Law Review
