Privacy Problems (ECE1724) (LAW545H1S)

This course looks at data protection law from the twin perspectives of law and engineering. We will learn about the basic obligations outlined in data protection laws such as Europe’s GDPR, Canada’s PIPEDA (and possible new privacy legislation if passed), and California’s CCPA. We will also learn about some of the key technical methodologies proposed to help with some of these obligations, including methodologies to help manage re-identification risks (such as differential privacy), and methodologies to assist with privacy policy analysis (such as AI). We will also look at current and emerging technological threats to privacy and the ways in which data protection law does, or does not, adequately respond (such as device fingerprinting). 

The core questions of this course are:  

Law students will gain a basic understanding of key technologies and methodologies used by the technical community to protect privacy. They will also learn a set of critical questions to ask about these technologies and methodologies when considering their use in meeting legal obligations. Law students will also gain a basic understanding of some of the current technological threats to privacy. Engineering students will gain a basic understanding of data protection laws as well as the methodologies lawyers, regulators, and courts use to interpret those laws. They will also learn a set of critical questions to ask about these laws when considering whether their designs can assist in meeting legal obligations. Engineering students will also gain a basic understanding of some of the ways that data protection laws can fail to promote the best technical solutions for current and emerging technological threats to privacy.