“Free Flow of Data: Panacea or Danger?" AND "Concentration in Internet Services”

These are two separate sessions

1) Free flow of data: panacea or danger?

So-called free Internet services such as search engines and social networks are funded by revenues from targeted advertising. That revenue depends on being able to collect and analyze personal data, so as to be able to customize the advertising.

Proposals have been made to enshrine in free trade agreements the principle that data flows must not be restricted. But unfettered processing of personal data can violate privacy rights, and in fact the European Union has stated that trade agreements must not be used to weaken its data privacy laws.

Further, if data is the new oil, then why should the source of the data (we the people) not be compensated financially for the value of the data? Nobody would agree to let oil flow freely, without royalties.  Why shouldn't that be the case for data?

And what of the role of data in building artificial intelligence systems?

The workshop will explore these issues.

2) Concentration in Internet Services

How is number two after Facebook (outside of China)? Or Twitter? We have seen a trend towards concentration of Internet platforms and services. That tend may be due to superior products, or it may be due to network effects and economies of scale.

Is such concentration bad or good? And for whom? Is current competition/anti-trust law adequate to address what we see in the Internet markets?

This workshop will explore these issues.