Personal data are critical to almost every aspect of modern society, including commerce, economic prosperity, technological innovation, national security, and international trade. Protecting those data has become more important and more difficult in a world of “big data,” and that difficulty is exacerbated by differences between United States and European approaches to data protection. As the European Union and the United States consider important changes to their data protection laws, the IU Europe Gateway inaugural event brings together two thought leaders in this field for a frank, informal, and thoughtful discussion of one of the pressing sets of issues that profoundly affects Germany, the European Union, the United States, and the transatlantic relationship: how to protect personal data responsibly and efficiently, and without undermining the benefits that its responsible use may bring.
A reception will follow the panel discussion at 6 p.m. This is an open event but requires registration as space is limited. I you wish to attend please follow this link to register. For more information please contact Prof. Hannah Buxbaum, Academic Director, IU Europe Gateway at hbuxbaum@indiana.edu
Panelist biographies:
The Hon. Julie Brill, Commissioner, U.S. Federal Trade Commission
Since joining the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on April 6, 2010, Commissioner Brill has been named “the Commission’s most important voice on Internet privacy and data security issues,” a “key player in U.S. and global regulations,” “one of the top minds in online privacy,” one of the top four U.S. government players “leading the data privacy debate,” “one of the top 50 influencers on big data,” and a “game-changer.” In 2014, she received the Privacy Leader of the Year Award from the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Prior to becoming a commissioner, she was the Senior Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the North Carolina Department of Justice and before that she served as an Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the State of Vermont for over 20 years.
The Hon. Dr. Alexander Dix, Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Dr. Alexander Dix, LLM, was elected as commissioner for data protection and freedom of information by the Berlin State Parliament (Germany) in June 2005. Previously, he had been commissioner in the state of Brandenburg for seven years. Dr. Dix chairs the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (the Berlin Group) and is a member of the Article 29 Working Party of European Data Protection Supervisory Authorities, where he represents the Data Protection Authorities of the 16 German states (Länder).
Fred H. Cate (moderator), Vice President for Research, Distinguished Professor, and C. Ben Dutton Professor of Law, Indiana University
Professor Cate specializes in information privacy and security law issues. He has testified before numerous congressional committees and speaks frequently before professional, industry, and government groups.
