Corporate Data and Human Rights

A Panel on Corporate Transparency and Accountability Around Internet Surveillance and Censorship

February 18, 2016 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM PST
Social Science Matrix
820 Barrows Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
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Matrix is located on the 8th floor of Barrows Hall, on the UC Berkeley campus, near Telegraph and Bancroft Avenues, just up the hill from Sather Gate. There are entrances at both ends of the building, but only one of the elevators on the eastern side goes directly to the 8th floor. You can alternatively take the stairs to the 7th floor and walk up the stairs.
Matrix is located on the 8th floor of Barrows Hall, on the UC Berkeley campus, near Telegraph and Bancroft Avenues, just up the hill from Sather Gate. There are entrances at both ends of the building, but only one of the elevators on the eastern side goes directly to the 8th floor. You can alternatively take the stairs to the 7th floor and walk up the stairs. Please contact socialsciencematrix@berkeley.edu with questions.

How can Internet companies be more transparent and accountable in how they monitor and censor online behavior? What (and whose) rights are threatened when companies disclose customer data in response to government demands or when they block online activity or take down content? What obligations do companies have to resist government demands, and what tools can advocates use to confront abuses?

On February 18, 2016, the UC Berkeley Human Rights Program—in partnership with Social Science Matrix, the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, and the Center for Technology, Society & Policy at the UC Berkeley School of Information—will present a panel discussion on corporate transparency and accountability around Internet surveillance and censorship. The panel will be moderated by Leslie Harris, President of the Harris Strategy Group, Lecturer at the UC Berkeley School of Information, and a founder of the Global Network Initiative. Participants on the panel include:

  • Rebecca MacKinnon, Project Director of Ranking Digital Rights at New America

  • Bennett Freeman, Chair of the Advisory Board of Global Witness and former Deputy Assistant of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

  • Bill Marczak, Computer Science PhD student at UC Berkeley; Research Fellow at Citizen Lab (University of Toronto)

  • Nicole Ozer, Technology & Civil Liberties Policy Director at the ACLU of California

  • Jim Dempsey, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology at Berkeley Law

The panel is open to the public and will include time for audience questions and discussion. A reception with refreshments will follow the event. For more information, please contact Lynsay Skiba at lynsayskiba@berkeley.edu.