Op-Ed: US tech policy needs real tech research behind it, FTC chairwoman says

As the chief US agency charged with protecting consumer privacy, the Federal Trade Commission strives to help foster a marketplace where technology flourishes, while also ensuring that consumer privacy is safeguarded.

To do this, we need to ensure that we stay on top of the latest research in data security and privacy. We know that innovators need freedom to innovate, and we also know that consumers care deeply about their privacy, whether that involves mobile and online tracking or the collection of other personal data streams such as geolocation.

So how can the FTC better protect consumers and promote innovation as personalization, connected cars, health and fitness devices, and other technologies emerge? By making sure our work is informed by the best minds helping to drive the digital revolution.

We hear frequently from industry groups, consumer advocates, and government colleagues about policy issues. We also hear from technologists, but not as much as we'd like—we need more of them to weigh in on these important issues.

Policymakers need to ensure that privacy is respected while innovation flourishes, and technology academics and researchers are crucial to hitting that sweet spot.

To make this meeting of minds happen, the FTC is announcing a new forum called PrivacyCon, which aims to bring together leading privacy and security researchers with policymakers to present and discuss their latest findings. The FTC will host the first PrivacyCon in Washington, DC, on January 14.

Technologists are important to policymaking for a number of reasons. They can help shine a light on privacy and security gaps. They can develop honeypots, crawlers, and other tools to highlight the types of information companies collect, to identify what kinds of choices consumers are making, and to assess whether these choices are being respected.

Technology-savvy researchers can also increase transparency about algorithms underlying the services that consumers use. On the security side, whitehat researchers can help identify security vulnerabilities so companies can make their products safer.

These researchers can also help provide valuable information about what consumers want and what trade-offs they are willing to make. Are there new or undiscovered data sets that would provide more insights into consumer preferences? Can we harness technology to enhance consumers’ control of their personal information? And what are the most effective ways to enable consumers to make informed choices?

At the FTC, we are trying to build better bridges between technologists and policymakers. We recently participated at security research conferences like Black Hat and DEFCON, and our chief technologist, Ashkan Soltani, has helped connect academic researchers to the agency to deliver a series of presentations on technology issues.

We have also created an Office of Technology Research and Investigation, where we aim to attract civic-minded technologists to conduct cutting-edge research, help investigate companies that may be engaged in unfair or deceptive privacy practices, and promote both privacy and innovation.

And we have made it a priority to hire lawyers with the right technical expertise. We want more lawyers with computer science backgrounds to join our team.

For PrivacyCon, we are seeking original research on security vulnerabilities and how they might be exploited to harm consumers. We are also asking for research in areas such as big data, the Internet of Things, and consumer attitudes toward privacy. We urge technologists and researchers to visit the PrivacyCon website and submit information about research in these areas, some of which will be presented at the conference.

Our goal is to make PrivacyCon a premiere privacy research event that will help us advance our understanding of security and privacy issues for the digital age. PrivacyCon is just one step on the road to creating a continuing dialogue with the technology and research community. After the close of the final conference session, this important conversation will continue.

With strong partnerships, the FTC can keep pace with the curve of technological innovation and protect consumers in this exciting new digital world.