Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONSUMER PROTECTION NEWS: Agenda announced for FTC’s big data workshop, (Aug 8, 2014)

The FTC has released its agenda for its upcoming workshop, “Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion?” The workshop is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on Monday, September 15, at the Constitution Center in Washington, D.C.

According to the Commission, the term big data “is used to refer to advancing technologies that are dramatically expanding the commercial collection, analysis, use, and storage of data.” The workshop will consequently examine the use of big data, as well as its impact on consumers. Panel discussions will include the following:

• Assessing the Current Environment—an examination of how big data is currently used in different contexts, and how such uses affect consumers;

• What’s on the Horizon with Big Data?—an assessment of possible big data uses, and potential benefits and harms for identifiable consumer populations;

• Surveying the Legal Landscape—an analysis of how different antidiscrimination and consumer protection laws affect big data use, as well as possible holes in those laws; and

• Mapping the Path Forward—a discussion of big data use and consumer protection best practices

“A growing number of companies are increasingly using big data analytics techniques to categorize consumers and make predictions about their behavior,” stated FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “As part of the FTC’s ongoing work to shed light on the full scope of big data practices, our workshop will examine the potentially positive and negative effects of big data on low income and underserved populations.”

News: ConsumerProtection Privacy FederalTradeCommissionNews