Postdoctoral Fellowship on Information Technology, and CivilLiberties: Public Policy Considerations

这一年，满了。美国《时代》杂志的博士后奖学金将资助一位拥有计算机科学硕士学位的科学、技术与社会博士，培养她对信息技术新发展对公民自由影响的政策分析能力。她的研究将研究五个领域：唯一识别技术，私人组织持有的记录监管，联邦调查局国家犯罪信息中心2000，网络安全法规对隐私和可用性的影响，以及使用信息技术加强个人隐私和增强公民获取电子信息的机制。该项目的目标是将信息技术对公民自由的影响的技术和法律观点结合起来，并阐明这一领域政策决定的选择和影响。为了获得法律和公共政策分析方面的正式培训，该调查员将与专门研究公民自由的法律学者合作，包括计算机技术对保护或侵犯个人隐私的影响。讲座、研讨会、辅导课和课程作业将提供必要的理论、方法和工具，以确定和评估这一领域的政策选择。这个项目解决了技术和公共政策的一个中心问题：信息技术新发展的伦理和价值含义。拟议的培训将增强该研究人员在这一领域进行研究的能力；研究者、接待专家和接待机构完全有资格承担和支持这项工作；合作工作很可能在奖励期后继续进行。结果很可能得到适当的传播和有用。因此建议给予28 000美元的奖金。

This one year, full.time postdoctoral fellowship enables a new PhD in Science, Technology and Society, with a masters degree in computer science, to develop her capabilities for policy analysis of the implications of new developments in information technology for civil liberties. Her research will examine five areas: technologies for unique identification, regulation of records held by private organizations, FBI National Crime Information Center 2000, effects of network security regulations on privacy and usability, and mechanisms for using information technology to strengthen individual privacy and enhance citizen access to electronic information. The project's objectives are to combine technical and legal perspectives about the impacts of information technology on civil liberties, and to articulate the options for and implications of policy decisions in this area. To gain formal training in legal and public policy analysis, this investigator will work with a legal scholar who specializes in civil liberties, including the implications of computer technology for the protection or infringement of personal privacy. Lectures, seminars, tutorials and coursework will provide the necessary exposure to theories, methods, and tools to identify and assess policy options in this area. This project addresses a central issue in technology and public policy: ethical and value implications of new developments in information technology. The proposed training will augment this researcher's ability to undertake research in this area; the investigator, host specialist and host institution are very well qualified to undertake and support the effort; collaborative work is likely to continue after the award period. Results are likely to be appropriately disseminated and useful. An award in the amount of $28,000 is therefore recommended.