Our daily activity is increasingly surveilled, by the NSA, Facebook, Amazon, and, well, every retailer whether we purchase online or in traditional stores.  Most (and soon, all) people in the US have a high-definition video camera in their pocket, connected to the Internet (we call them smart phones) so we never know when our images or conversation will be published.  But technology advance also provides new tools to protect our privacy. Will information technology lead us to a world with more privacy, or no privacy?

Dr. Mackie-Mason is well known for his pioneering research on the economics of the Internet and digital information.  He consults for technology corporations, the National Science Foundation and other government agencies, and testifies on antitrust conduct in technology industries.

Please check the OLLI web site for additional lectures in the 6-week series, “Computers, the Internet, and Big Data: Benefits and Dangers”, Thursdays, February 19-April 2:

http://www.olli-umich.org/programs_activities/lectures/4th_Lecture_Series.pdf