The Privacy Paradox | The Alliance Series

Privacy is a primary concern for citizens today. Yet many of us willingly share vast quantities of personal information with private companies and on social media platforms even though they offer few safeguards. Cloud technology, for example, enables the storage of vast quantities of information--personal files, tax returns, family pictures--while social media encourages us to express our personal choices and leanings, be it political, social, or sexual. This data has become an essential part of the business model of major digital companies, which use or sell this information to target audiences and tailor products. While we know this information is being harvested and at risk of being hacked, millions among us continue to trust “the cloud” with our personal information. We behave as if convenience trumped privacy. What are the dangers of such inconsistent, paradoxical behavior? What should be done to protect citizens’ right to privacy?

As part of the Alliance Series at Albertine, Bernard E. Harcourt, professor, Executive Director of the Eric H. Holder Initiative for Civil and Political Rights, and Founding Director of the Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought at Columbia University, and Asma Mhalla, Lecturer in Digital Economy at  Sciences Po, Paris, will dissect the topic of privacy in the digital age.