The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy
Our privacy is besieged by tech companies. Companies can do this because our laws are built on outdated ideas that trap lawmakers, regulators, and courts into wrong assumptions about privacy, resulting in ineffective legal remedies to one of the most pressing concerns of our generation. Drawing on behavioral science, sociology, and economics, Ignacio Cofone challenges existing laws and reform proposals and dispels enduring misconceptions about data-driven interactions. This exploration offers readers a holistic view of why current laws and regulations fail to protect us against corporate digital harms, particularly those created by AI. Cofone then proposes a better response: meaningful accountability for the consequences of corporate data practices, which ultimately entails creating a new type of liability that recognizes the value of privacy.

Ignacio Cofone is the Canada Research Chair of A.I. Law & Data Governance at McGill University Faculty of Law and an Affiliated Fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project. He is currently visiting Magdalen College as the Robert Campbell visiting fellow in law.
Date: 21 February 2024, 17:00 (Wednesday, 6th week, Hilary 2024)
Venue: 1 St Giles', 1 St Giles' OX1 3JS
Venue Details: 1 St Giles Seminar Room or Zoom
Speaker: Prof Ignacio Cofone (McGill University Faculty of Law)
Organising department: Oxford Internet Institute
Organiser: Ellen Mobbs (Oxford Internet Institute)
Organiser contact email address: events@oii.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor Sandra Wachter (Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford)
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/events/the-privacy-fallacy-harm-and-power-in-the-information-economy/
Audience: Public
Editor: Ellen Mobbs