Below is a call for papers that I received by e-mail earlier today.  

RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM: CALL FOR PAPERS

Law and Ethics of Big Data

April 17 & 18, 2015

Indiana University- Bloomington, IN.

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 17, 2015

A research colloquium, “Law and Ethics of Big Data,” co-hosted by Professor Angie Raymond of Indiana University and Janine Hiller of Virginia Tech, is sponsored by the Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics in the Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech; the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University; and the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions at Indiana University.

Up to six invitations for research presentation slots will be extended based on this call for papers. In order to receive consideration, researchers are invited to submit an abstract by January 17, 2015.

TOPIC:

Various terms are used to describe the collection and use of data for decision-making. Big data and data mining are two common terms that indicate the breadth and depth of data sets and the subsequent use of that data to extract new meaning.  As far back as 2001, industry analyst Doug Laney articulated the now widely accepted three V’s of big data (volume, velocity, and variety) that sets big data apart from earlier forms of data, from the early Sumerian tally sticks through hand-written manuscripts and up to the early years of electronic digital computers.  

Regardless of its particulars, it seems the term ‘big data’ is everywhere, mentioned in every corner of the world and growing at an exponential rate. The increasing volume and detail of information captured by enterprises, the rise of multimedia, social media, and the Internet of Things will fuel exponential growth in data for the foreseeable future. Everyone wants your information and many hope to put that information to their own idea of a ‘good’ use.

In many ways, legal scholarship has yet to fully address the explosion of big data and the potential positive and negative consequences that can arise from such information gathering. Particular statutes protect health, financial, and children’s information to a certain extent, but nevertheless a recurrent legal issue in data management is the question of privacy rights and obligations for securing information.. Without a doubt, data analytics raises privacy concerns in new ways and more intensely ever seen; the meaning of individual privacy is challenged in an environment where new personal insights are algorithmically “discovered” through widely aggregated data and analytic techniques.

We must begin to question: As sophisticated data analysis and its predictive application becomes ubiquitous, what are the legal and ethical considerations for society, business, and government?  What laws currently protect individuals and corporations from data overreach and predictive applications, and what new laws are needed? What laws should be modified in order to reap the benefits of data analytics and predictive modeling while protecting human rights? How are these questions being addressed by different legal structures?

This colloquium seeks to promote research on the legal and ethical issues presented by the use of data and analytics in society, emphasizing uses by business entities.

Issues of interest include, but are not limited to, the following categories that are relevant to the discussion of data analysis, predictive modeling, and decision-making processes:

  • Privacy and data security
  • Consumer protection: price discrimination, targeting  
  • Employment decisions and analytics
  • Corporate governance: decision-making, risk management, and oversight
  • Health analytics and ethics
  • Insurance: benefits, prices, structures
  • Intellectual property: data and analytic ownership, trade secret protection
  • Legal system: due process, e-discovery, evidentiary issues
  • Antitrust: collusion and data
  • International legal comparisons
  • Ethical use of predictive data analytics in commerce
  • National security: inferences, actions, and automation derived from data

Submissions: To be considered, please submit an abstract to Angie Raymond at angraymo@indiana.edu and/or Janine Hiller at jhiller@vt.edu by January 17, 2015. Abstracts will be evaluated based upon the quality of the abstract and the topic’s fit with other presentations.  Questions may be directed to Angie Raymond at angraymo@indiana.edu or Janine Hiller atjhiller@vt.edu.  

Those submitting abstracts will be informed of the outcome by February 1, 2015.  If accepted, the author agrees to submit a discussion paper by April 2, 2015. While papers need not be in finished form, drafts must contain enough information and structure to facilitate a robust discussion of the topic and paper thesis. Formatting will be either APA or Bluebook. In the case of papers with multiple authors, only one author may present at the colloquium.  

Colloquium Details:

The colloquium will begin at noon on April 17th and conclude at the end of the day on April 18th, 2015.  

Approximately 50 minutes is allotted for discussion of each paper presentation and discussion.

Presenters will submit discussion manuscripts by April 2, 2015.

The manuscripts will be posted in a password protected members-only forum online. Each participant agrees to read and be prepared to participate in discussions of all papers. Participants may be asked to lead discussion of one other submitted paper.

A limited number of participants will be provided with lodging and all participants will be provided meals during the colloquium (lunch and dinner on the 17th and breakfast and lunch on the 18th). All participants are responsible for transportation to Indiana University Bloomington, IN