Final Class Group Role-playing Project

The final hour of our last call will be a role-playing project on the subject of privacy policy directions for the United States.

Background

In October 2002, after several years increasingly acrimonious struggles with the European Union over the adequacy of US privacy law under the EU Data Protection Directive, all concerned feel that there has to be some end to the debate. Either the US will adopt European-style data protection, thus allowing he free flow of information between Europe and the US, or the US will just announce that it's current laws must be considered adequate as-is. A bi-partisan movement has arisen in the United States to adopt the EU Data Protection directive in it's entirety. Arguements range from:

• this would kill the US online industry
• finally, consumers are getting the privacy protection they deserve
• it's technical impossible to comply with
• it's technical easy to comply with
• it's unconstitutional under the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution
• etc.

Scene: United States Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has decided to hold a one hour hearing on this topic. Volunteers from the class will assume the following roles:

• Senate Republicans
  • Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
  • Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
• Senate Democrats
  • Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
  • Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
• Witnesses
  • Industry representative: America Online
  • Technical Expert: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
  • Privacy Advocate: Center for Democracy and Technology
  • Libertarian/Free Market Advocate: Cato Institute

Hearing Structure

The hearing will be structured as follows:

• Opening statements
  • Chair (Danny Weitzner) 5 minutes
  • Committee Members -- 1 minute each
  • Witnesses -- 5 minute each
• Questions for witnesses
  • 5 minutes per committee member
• Press wrap-up: Hal Abelson

Terms of Participation

Participation is entirely optional, though some class members may be "opt-ed" in to certain roles.