February 28, 2017
Toys That Listen — CHI 2017
What do teddy bears, My Friend Cayla and Barbie have in common? They are all toys connected to the internet that can listen, overhearing what goes on in the home. Security breaches and the privacy challenges of these devices are regularly in the news. During the holiday season of 2015 Hello Barbie faced significant pushback […]
MoreJuly 17, 2016
PokemonGO and Policy for Augmented Reality Applications
With widespread adoption, PokemonGO has brought the novel policy considerations of augmented reality to a wide audience. Over the last week, members of the Lab have highlighted some of these issues. Co-Director Calo, noted the novel nature of a game that requires players to physically travel and potentially actionable nuisance created by the developers (Verge). In an article in New Scientist, Emily McReynolds highlighted the benefits of including a diverse set of stakeholders in the design of these applications.
MoreMay 27, 2016
Artificial Intelligence: Law and Policy
On Tuesday, May 24, the Lab and the UW School of Law co-hosted the first of four White House public workshops on artificial intelligence. Deputy CTO Ed Felton and other members of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy spoke on panels and were in attendance for the workshop. Other speakers included Lab Co-Director Ryan Calo, Oren Etzioni, Kellye Testy, R. David Edelman, Pedro Domingos, Deirdre Mulligan, Kate Crawford, Jack Balkin, and Camille Fischer.
MoreJanuary 22, 2016
Toys That Listen and the Internet of Things
Hello Barbie, Amazon Echo, and the home robot Jibo are part of a new wave of connected toys and gadgets for the home that listen. Different than the smartphone, these devices are always on, blending into the background until needed by the adult or child user. We do not yet know all the information our new toys are collecting, storing, or disclosing. With an intended audience of designers and regulators, this project brings an interdisciplinary group of experts together to build a set of consumer protection best practices for design and user control of connected devices in the home.
MoreJuly 15, 2015
Understanding Journalists Information Security Choices
This blog post, cross-posted from the Tow Center, describes recent work studying computer security in journalist-source communications, a collaboration between Susan McGregor at the Columbia Journalism School, UW HCI+D Masters students Polina Charters and Tobin Holliday, and TPL affiliated faculty member Franziska Roesner. Understanding Journalists Information Security Choices by Susan McGregor In the roughly two years since the Snowden revelations, information security […]
MoreMay 1, 2015
How Technology Impacts Civil Liberties with Co-Director Ryan Calo
Newly-emerging technologies affect us all in a multitude of ways and today’s turned-on, always-connected world has reached an all-time high. O’Connor, president of the Center for Democracy & Technology, will discuss how the internet and interconnected world shape our lives, impact our civil liberties, and inform our daily decisions. Other panelists include Ryan Calo, faculty […]
MoreFebruary 16, 2015
Roundtable: Cyber Civil Rights and Effective Responses to ‘Revenge Porn’
Tuesday, March 3 4:00-6:00 pm Reception to follow K&L Gates 925 Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 On Tuesday, March 3, K&L Gates and the University of Washington’s Tech Policy Lab will be co-sponsoring a roundtable on cyber civil rights and revenge porn. We have assembled a fantastic panel with speakers from K&L Gates, the Federal […]
MoreNovember 2, 2014
Tech Policy Lab Distinguished Lecture: Responsible Innovation in the Age of Robots and Smart Machines
Many of the things we do to each other in the 21st century –both good and bad – we do by means of smart technology. Drones, robots, cars, and computers are a case in point. Military drones can help protect vulnerable, displaced civilians; at the same time, drones that do so without clear accountability give […]
MoreOctober 12, 2014
Privacy and Security Concerns for the Smart Watch Age
(photo credit Kārlis Dambrāns) The Internet of Things (IoT) is quickly expanding the next big product in its interconnected family – the smart watch. While these high-tech watches are not necessarily new, recent releases from companies like Samsung, LG and Apple have given them a more mainstream public appeal and market share. In welcoming the watches […]
MoreOctober 10, 2014
Building a Cybersecurity Roadmap: Developing America’s Edge
Recently the Lab sent member Aaron Alva to Washington DC (from one Washington to another!) to attend a cybersecurity event co-hosted by the Center for National Policy and the Christian Science Monitor. The event included a Q&A with the White House cybersecurity coordinator Michael Daniel, and a panel with experts including DEF CON founder Jeff […]
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