MILWAUKEE — Dr. Jessica Vitak, associate professor in the College of Information Studies and director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland, will be the keynote speaker for the International Privacy Day research symposium and showcase, hosted by Marquette University’s Center for Data, Ethics, and Society on Monday, Jan. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Alumni Memorial Union, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave.
This research symposium and student showcase features some of the latest research on the complex privacy and security dimensions of smart homes and related Internet of Things technologies. Vitak will deliver her featured presentation titled, “Reimagining Data Collection and Use in the Age of Smart Devices.” There will also be a panel discussion on “Privacy & Security Dimensions of Smart Devices,” featuring Dr. Debbie Perouli, assistant professor of computer science at Marquette; Dr. Kelly Quinn, clinical associate professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Dr. Rahul Chatterjee, assistant professor of computer sciences at the University of Wisconsin.
Registration is free and available online. In addition to the featured presentations, there will be a student research showcase.
Vitak’s research evaluates the privacy and ethical implications of big data, the Internet of Things, and other smart technologies. She seeks to understand how privacy concerns play a role in technology adoption and use, and she develops tools and resources to help children and adults make more informed decisions when using technology and sharing sensitive data. She also serves as an affiliate professor in the Department of Communication and with Maryland’s Social Data Science Center.
Grounded in Marquette’s Jesuit mission of social justice, the Center for Data, Ethics, and Society is particularly focused on confronting the ethical consequences and controversies of our increasingly data-driven lives and spaces, including unfair algorithmic biases, the unequal impacts of computational decision-making, the privacy threats of ubiquitous surveillance systems, and corporate social responsibility and accountability. The center takes up these concerns through an applied and interdisciplinary approach to research, pedagogy, and engagement with both impacted communities and relevant industries.
