The Future of Tech and Democracy, and How Privacy Pros Can Help

[Commentary] “The Future of Technology & Democracy,” a conference where technologists -- some from Google, Facebook and Twitter -- gathered to educate and inform representatives of the Federal Elections Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. The all-day event touched upon new personalized targeting models in campaign advertising and fundraising, the potential for blockchain technology to facilitate real-time contribution transparency and the reinvention of a public square that has long left behind the confines of traditional media for the social platforms of online service providers. With that in mind, here are a few takeaways for privacy professionals from this groundbreaking event:

• Public Datasets Are Becoming More "Public" and Less "Private
• Predictive Behavioral Targeting Works (for Campaign and Campaign Fundraising)
• The Theory of Creepy Is Alive and Well: Nate Thames, executive director of ActBlue, told a story that illustrated how privacy and the theory of creepy continue to be alive and well. His campaign tech consultancy tried to reduce micro-donation friction by pre-filling ZIP code information based on IP address. The unexpected result? A substantial drop-off in donations. Users were just weirded out.
• Privacy Professionals Are Needed To Safeguard Privacy and Trust

[Timothy Yim is the director of the Privacy & Technology Project at UCHastings College of Law]