The Center for Urban Science and Progress will host a workshop in Downtown Brooklyn to discuss the forthcoming book, Big Data, Privacy, and the Public Good: Frameworks for Engagement. The book, edited by Julia Lane, Victoria Stodden, Stefan Bender, and Helen Nissenbaum, will be published by Cambridge University Press.

Privacy concerns over the use of big data for commercial or intelligence purposes are much discussed, yet big data can also be harnessed to serve the public good. Federal, state, and local governments can better use their data to improve services and reduce taxpayer costs; scientists can use new forms of data to do research that improves people’s lives; and non-profit organizations can use information to advocate for public causes. Concern over privacy and confidentiality issues must be addressed to enable the realization of these beneficial uses of big data.

Authors in this book have provided, for the first time in one place, an accessible summary of the important legal, economic, and statistical thought that frames the many privacy issues associated with the use of big data. Yet, they also identify practical suggestions for protecting privacy and confidentiality that can help guide practitioners.