This was first published as an InfoWorld IDG Contributor Network Tech Policy Perspectives column. Occupations accounting for 47% of all U.S. employment are at risk of computerization, and this isn’t decades away: It could happen over the next 10 to 20 years.

Recent technological developments have led to the rise of “big data” analytics which include machine learning and artificial intelligence.  These new technologies will without question provide ample opportunity for growth for consumers, businesses, and the global economy as a whole.  As this technological evolution continues to take place, it does not come without some risk.   Over the last few years, algorithmic fairness, has become an issue of serious debate.  Most recently, Cathy O’Neil released a book titled, “Weapons of Math Destruction,” and Frank Pasquale published “The Black Box Society,” in which they look at issues of discrimination and the role that algorithms play in exacerbating discrimination.  SIIA responded to these works in a blog by saying that tech leaders must quickly act to ensure algorithmic fairness. To go even further, on Friday, November 04, 2016, SIIA released an issue brief on the topic ...

Yesterday on October 10, 2016 in Berlin, the Aspen Institute/Germany launched “Into the Clouds: European SMEs and the Digital Age.”  SIIA and Thomson Reuters supported the report, which was written by the Atlantic Council’s Tyson Barker.  In connection with the launch, Aspen hosted a lively lunch discussion bringing together academics, politicians, and industry representatives. The report finds lower than optimal cloud adoption rates in a number of European countries, most notably in Germany.  It recommends six policies in order to increase cloud adoption, especially by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

This week, SIIA published an issue brief assessing the use of data analytics in the criminal justice system.  Not surprisingly, data analytics has helped to reduce crime and improve the criminal justice system, particularly through its application in predictive policing and criminal risk assessment.  The report also explores critical questions and concerns raised about the effectiveness and unintended outcomes of the various tools in use today. This report is timely, as it coincides with a critical decision handed down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court about the use of evidence-based risk assessment tools at sentencing.  The Court supported the use of predictive tools, such as the COMPAS tool at the center of the trial, but it ruled that “risk scores may not be considered as the determinative factor in deciding whether the offender can be supervised safely and effectively in the community.” [emphasis added] Essentially, the court’s decision confirme ...

On Friday, June 17th, SIIA hosted a panel that was co-sponsored by the Congressional High Tech Caucus and the Congressional Internet of Things Caucus on assessing the benefits, challenges, and policy implications of the Internet of Things. SIIA has been active on the topic of IoT in recent months both filing comments to NTIA and releasing a white paper on the subject.  David LeDuc, SIIA’s Senior Director for Public Policy gave opening remarks where he said SIIA defines the “Internet of Things” as ubiquitous connectivity where people are not only interacting with their devices, but devices are also interacting with each other. He also touched on the importance of regulatory humility cautioning against an overarching policy framework for IoT to accommodate IoT’s complex ecosystem. The panel consisted of representatives from GE Digital, Qualcomm Inc., and the Center for Data Innovation.  Each panelist touched on both public and private sector oppor ...

“Digital Transformation” is a business cliche, an abstraction which continually absorbs every recent digital business or operational strategy discussion. At the Connectiv Executive Summit next month, Jonathan Murray, Transformational Chief Technology Officer at Digital Prism (dprism), will share dprism’s Digital Maturity, which helps executives assess the state of their organization’s digital readiness as well as gain focus on the most profitable areas of digital business change. Murray will also share findings from a survey of Connectiv members on how they stack up against the Digital Maturity Index.

We are at a key inflection point in the history of information technology (IT), representing the evolution of IT from a specialized tool into a pervasive influence on nearly every aspect of everyday life.  As the Internet further develops away from a computer-to-computer communication network, it is becoming a ubiquitous network linking electronic devices and everyday objects.  This development, often referred to as the “Internet of Things” (IoT), describes ubiquitous interconnectivity, where people don’t just interact with a wide range of objects and devices, but devices and objects also interact directly with each other. Today, SIIA released a new report, Empowering the Internet of Things:  Benefits, Solutions and Recommendations for Policymakers, providing an in-depth look at the technological, social, and economic benefits and challenges facing the IoT.  It examines how data processing applied to the information flows from the IoT will make ...

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On Tuesday, November 17th, SIIA hosted an event on Capitol Hill that featured Members of Congress, Hill Staff, and Industry who were all charged with the task of explaining how data-centric security measures could be used to protect federal information and information systems.  In light of recent attacks on federal IT systems and the data theft of millions of Americans, this subject is of heavy importance for citizens and national security.

Late last week, SIIA hosted a lunch event “Re-Thinking Privacy in the Connected World” that focused on reevaluating popular understandings of the privacy cost/benefit analysis of data-driven innovation and the Internet of Things (IoT). So often discussion of these technologies and analytic methods demonize data collection as a risk to personal privacy and security. But our speakers gave us a more balanced understanding of the complex relationship between technology, data and privacy.  They underscored that while there may be fundamental right to privacy, privacy is not monolithic, but based on a diverse and evolving set of expectations.  And they rebutted the notions that enhancing privacy can be accomplished merely by limiting data collection, or that more data equals less privacy, which calls for more regulation. more