The Internet Governance Lab at American University (AU) and the Washington, DC Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC-DC) are co-hosting the symposium "Governing the Internet of Things" (#IoTgov) on Friday, March 30, 2018 from 9:30am-3:00pm in the Media Innovation Lab at the School of Communication McKinley Building on the AU campus.

Multiple panels will present the ideas and discussions from leading figures in the Internet of Things (IoT) field, including author and activist Cory Doctorow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; Professor Paul Ohm of Georgetown Law; Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, founder of Design Swarm; and Gilad Rosner, founder of the Internet of Things Privacy Forum. Senior Research Fellow Tatevik Sargsyan of the New American Foundation's Ranking Digital Rights Project; Senior Research Fellow Adam Thierer of the Technology Policy Program at George Mason University's Mercatus Center; and Internet Governance Lab co-directors and faculty fellows will also serve as speakers and moderators.

The Internet of Things presents a range of new governance challenges. When the Internet was primarily characterized by the communication of information between people, the architecture and governing principles and institutions sought to enable innovation and free flow of information. But an Internet embedded in the material world creates new concerns such as potential harm to people and disruption of physical infrastructure.

To what extent do the architectural principles underlying the design and governance of the Internet need to change? What are the prospects for security and privacy in the context of pervasive cyber-physical systems that range from cars to medical devices to home control systems? What are emerging forms of inequality and discrimination in this environment?

This symposium brings together stakeholders from industry, design communities, civil society and academia to address the transformation of Internet governance in the age of cyber-physical systems.

Confirmed Speakers:

Cory Doctorow, Author and Activist, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Paul Ohm, Professor, Georgetown Law
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, Coordinator, Open Internet of Things Certification Mark
Gilad Rosner, Founder, Internet of Things Privacy Forum
Tatevik Sargsyan, Senior Research Fellow, Ranking Digital Rights Project, New America Foundation
Adam Thierer, Senior Research Fellow, Technology Policy Program, Mercatus Center, George Mason University
Derrick Cogburn, Associate Professor and Faculty Director, Internet Governance Lab, American University
Laura DeNardis, Professor and Faculty Director, Internet Governance Lab, American University
Gwanhoo Lee, Professor and Faculty Fellow, Internet Governance Lab, American University
Andrew Rens, Research Fellow, Internet Governance Lab, American University