Data Science Students Visit FTC with Latanya Sweeney

June 8, 2015
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With the help of IQSS staff, Professor Latanya Sweeney recently traveled to share the work of her students with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Sweeney is a Professor in the Department of Government as well as Director of the Data Privacy Lab at IQSS; she also recently served as the FTC's Chief Technologist.

Latanya Sweeney traveled to Washington, DC, with 26 students from two courses she taught this spring: Gov 1430 (The Politics of Personal Data) and Gov2430 (Data Science to Save the World). The students showed their work to regulators at the Federal Trade Commission. Regulators gained insights into unforeseen societal consequences of technology, and the students had real-world impact. Students found the event exciting, and it even lasted almost an hour longer than scheduled.

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The journey to Washington was made possible with the support of IQSS' financial and administrative staff, under the leadership of Director of Administration and Finance Cindy Smith. The core team worked extensively with Sweeney and the Ford Foundation to bring over two dozen students from all over the United States to the event at the FTC, and also ensured that their presentation materials arrived safely from Harvard in time for the event.

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