Register now for the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology (CSINT) Conversations panel discussing Apple’s proposed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection technology and the role of tech companies and government in addressing CSAM content online. Moderated by Internet Governance Lab Fellow Divya Ramjee, the CSINT panel co-sponsored by the Internet Governance Lab will include Laura Draper, Dr. Hany Farid, and John Verdi.
Registration is free at the link.
Details:
Apple recently decided to delay certain aspects of its plans to roll out its child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection technology, citing negative feedback from customers, security researchers, privacy advocates, and policy groups. The new policies include “Communication safety” in Messages to monitor images sent or received in the Messages app for child accounts set up in Family Sharing, as well as CSAM detection in iCloud Photos. Apple’s so-called NeuralHash technology is designed to identify known CSAM on a user’s device without having to possess the image or knowing the contents of the image. However, security experts and privacy advocates have expressed concern that the system could be abused by highly resourced actors, like governments, to implicate innocent victims or to manipulate the system to detect other materials that authoritarian nation states find objectionable. This event is intended to discuss the pros and cons of Apple’s proposed technology with Senior Project Director at Washington College of Law, Laura Draper, Professor at UC Berkeley, Dr. Hany Farid, and Senior VP of Policy at Future of Privacy Forum, John Verdi, as well as suggest what actions should and should not be taken to try to stop the dissemination and CSAM. This event is sponsored by American University's Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology (CSINT), the Tech, Law, & Security Program (TLS), and the Internet Governance Lab. This event will be moderated by CSINT Senior Fellow Divya Ramjee.
Our Panelists:
Laura Draper
● Laura Draper is a Senior Project Director at the Washington College of Law. She is managing an in-depth research project focused on identifying the tools, best practices, and legal and policy options available to tech companies and law enforcement to combat on-line child sexual exploitation given the increasing reality of end-to-end encryption. Prior to joining TLS, she served as an Assistant General Counsel with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and as a judicial clerk in the Southern District of New York. Before attending law school, she worked at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, where she focused on law enforcement matters. Ms. Draper earned her JD from NYU School of Law, her MS from the University of Pennsylvania, her MPhil from Cambridge University, and her BA from Case Western Reserve University.
Dr. Hany Farid
● Dr. Hany Farid is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences and the School of Information. His research focuses on digital forensics, forensic science, misinformation, image analysis, and human perception. Farid received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from the University of Rochester in 1989, and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. Following a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, he joined the faculty at Dartmouth College in 1999 where he remained until 2019. Farid is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
John Verdi
● John Verdi is Senior Vice President of Policy at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF). John supervises FPF’s policy portfolio, which advances FPF’s agenda on a broad range of issues, including: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning; Algorithmic Decision-Making; Ethics; Connected Cars; Smart Communities; Student Privacy; Health; the Internet of Things; Wearable Technologies; De Identification; and Drones. John previously served as Director of Privacy Initiatives at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, where he crafted policy recommendations for the US Department of Commerce and President Obama regarding technology, trust, and innovation. John led NTIA’s privacy multistakeholder process, which established best practices regarding unmanned aircraft systems, facial recognition technology, and mobile apps. Prior to NTIA, he was General Counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), where he oversaw EPIC’s litigation program. John earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from SUNY-Binghamton.
Our Moderator:
Divya Ramjee
● Divya Ramjee is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, as well as an adjunct instructor at the School of Public Affairs (Department of Justice, Law & Criminology and Department of Government) and at the Washington College of Law. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology; a Graduate Fellow at the Internet Governance Lab; and a Student Fellow for Washington College of Law's Tech, Law & Security Program. Her research interests include cybercrime and cyber enabled crime, cyber and tech policy, NLP and text analysis, and statistical methodology.