Berkeley Law - April 2015 The 19th Annual BCLT/BTLJ Symposium: Open Data: Addressing Privacy, Security, and Civil Rights Challenges

"How can open data promote trust in government without creating a transparent citizenry? Governments at all levels are releasing large datasets for analysis by anyone for any purpose—“Open Data.” Using Open Data, entrepreneurs may create new products and services, and citizens may use it to gain insight into the government. A plethora of time saving and other useful applications have emerged from Open Data feeds, including more accurate traffic information, real-time arrival of public transportation, and information about crimes in neighborhoods.  Data held by the government is often implicitly or explicitly about individuals. While open government is often presented as an unqualified good, sometimes Open Data can identify individuals or groups, leading to a more transparent citizenry. The Berkeley Center for Law & Technology (BCLT) and Microsoft released a call for proposals on Open Data in Summer 2014. Six projects were selected for funding. At the Berkeley Technology Law Journal (BTLJ) Spring Symposium, these works will be presented and discussed by outside experts in the field of open government data."