Tech Policy Lab alumnus Mike Katell passed away recently in London.
Katell was a valuable member of the Lab, contributing to projects including “Designing Tech Policy” and publishing papers on privacy and value sensitive design.
Co-Director Ryan Calo partnered with Katell during his time at the Lab.
“I worked with Mike Katell on several projects and served on his committee. Mike brought a warm wisdom to everything he did. This community feels his loss deeply.”
At the Lab, Katell was part of a team that interviewed technology policy thought leaders in law and computer science on why technology policy fails. His papers accepted for publication included “Do Privacy and Privilege Converge? Thoughts on the Coming Storm of Privilege-Based Privacy Affordance,” which was part of the 2015 Amsterdam Privacy Conference; and “The Personal Information Exchequer Rights and Restitution Engine,” which was included in the 2015 Critical Alternatives Workshop on Value Sensitive Design.
Before joining the Tech Policy Lab and the Information School as a Ph.D. student, Katell spent 10 years in IT at the legal aid nonprofit Columbia Legal Services.
Adam D. Moore, Professor in the Information School, was Katell’s Ph.D. advisor.
“I met Mike Katell in 2012 when he was a graduate student. He was always interested in ethics, justice, and progressive ideas. Over his graduate career, from the master’s program through the Ph.D., Mike demonstrated initiative, analytical clarity, and the passion to give and receive arguments. He was a pleasure to work with as a colleague, student, and friend. Aside from spending time discussing various theories of justice, we also connected as musicians … Mike was an excellent guitar player! He will be missed.”