Wednesday, May 29 · 7 - 9pm EDT

1 Guest Street Boston, MA 02135

2 hours

• Date and time: Wednesday, May 29, 7-9pm EDT
• Location: 1 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135
• Duration: 2 hours

• The event focuses on personal data sharing, privacy risks, and the potential benefits of big datasets in fields like medicine.
• The documentary "Secrets in Your Data" explores these issues and efforts to maximize benefits without compromising privacy.

• "Secrets in Your Data" premieres on Wednesday, May 15, at 9/8c on PBS. Check local listings for details.
• It will also be available for streaming online and via the PBS video app.

• Alok Patel (Moderator): Host of "Secrets in Your Data," Physician, ABC News Medical Contributor
• Matt Mitchell: Founder of Crypto Harlem, Hacker
• Ramesh Raskar: Associate Professor at MIT Media Lab, Founder of the PathCheck Foundation
• Hayley Tsukayama: Associate Director of Legislative Activism, Electronic Frontier Foundation

• Think about any questions or topics you'd like the panelists to address during the discussion.
• Write them down so you can refer to them during the event.

• Plan how you will get to the event location (1 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135) and back.
• Consider factors like traffic, parking, and public transportation options.

• Choose attire that is suitable for the event format and venue.
• Business casual or smart casual attire is usually appropriate for such events.

• Carry a notepad and pen to take notes during the screening and panel discussion.
• Don't forget your ID, tickets (if required), and any other essentials.

• Attend the catered reception in the atrium after the program.
• Use this opportunity to network with other attendees and engage in discussions about the topics covered in the event.

This transcript discusses the collection and use of personal data in our increasingly digital lives. It explains how data brokers collect detailed information about individuals from their online activities, which is then packaged and sold to advertisers and other interested parties. The centralization of the internet has enabled a few large tech companies to gather vast amounts of user data. The transcript explores the privacy and security concerns this raises, and discusses potential solutions like "smashing" data to extract useful insights without compromising individual privacy, and moving toward a decentralized web that gives users more control over their data.

• Cookies: Small files websites send to your browser to track your online activity
• Data brokers: Companies that collect, package and sell information about individuals
• Decentralized web: A vision for the internet not controlled by a few large companies, where users have more autonomy over their data and online identities
• No-peek privacy: Enabling research insights from data without anyone directly viewing private individual-level information
• Smashing data: Extracting useful aggregate insights from data while obscuring private details

The transcript includes specific examples of the extensive personal information data brokers can compile about individuals, such as addresses, phone numbers, names of childhood neighbors, and health conditions. It describes how this data is collected through methods like cookies, tracking pixels in emails, and data sharing deals between apps and data brokers. Interviews with various experts provide insight into the mechanics and scale of the data brokerage industry.

While the potential privacy violations and discriminatory applications of personal data are concerning, the centralized control of user data by large tech companies also limits the societal benefits that could come from analyzing large datasets. Techniques like "smashing" data to gain aggregate insights without compromising individual privacy show promise, but would require buy-in from tech companies. Moving to a decentralized web could put more control in the hands of users, but the practical challenges of this shift are not fully explored.

The transcript acknowledges that many people find real value in the personalized digital experiences enabled by data collection. Completely avoiding tracking may not be feasible or desirable for everyone. The privacy vs. utility tradeoff is a personal choice.

On an individual level, the transcript offers practical tips people can implement to improve their data privacy and security, like using tracker-blocking browser extensions, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication. However, it notes that systemic changes through regulation and restructuring of the web itself may be needed to fully address the risks of centralized data collection. The move to a decentralized web shows promise for increasing user autonomy, but would be a major technological undertaking.

• The level of detailed personal information data brokers can compile is eye-opening, like records of an individual's childhood neighbors from decades ago.
• The idea of "smashing" data to gain insights without directly viewing private information is an interesting potential solution to the privacy vs. utility tradeoff.
• The point that we all regularly interact with decentralized protocols like email without realizing it makes the decentralized web concept feel more attainable.

1. What are some of the ways your personal data is collected as you browse the web?
2. How does the centralization of the internet enable the extensive tracking and profiling of individuals?
3. What are some potential benefits and risks of large-scale personal data collection?
4. What are some practical steps you can take to improve your online privacy and security?

1. What specific regulations do you think would be most effective for protecting consumer data privacy?
2. How would a transition to a decentralized web be carried out practically? What are the biggest technical and adoption challenges you foresee?
3. Do you believe the benefits of personalized digital experiences enabled by data collection ever outweigh the privacy risks? How can this tradeoff be evaluated?
4. Beyond "smashing", what other technical solutions do you see for enabling research and insights from large datasets while preserving privacy?
5. How do you think the increasing awareness of online tracking and data brokers will impact people's behavior and demand for privacy? Will this accelerate the push to a decentralized web?

• The technical underpinnings of the centralized web and how it enables tracking (e.g. how cookies and tracking pixels work, what information is passed between servers)
• Decentralized alternatives to current internet protocols and how they can enable user autonomy
• Techniques for extracting insights from data while preserving privacy (e.g. differential privacy, homomorphic encryption)
• Current regulations around online privacy and data collection, and proposed legislative solutions
• The structure and practices of the data brokerage industry