Privacy: an Academic Conference and Public Event

The IDEA CETL at the University of Leeds is hosting two major events on the Ethics of Privacy in June 2010. An academic conference (17-19th June) will address applied and theoretical issues on the nature and value of privacy. Within this, a public event (18th June, 5.00-6.50pm), open to all and free of charge, will focus on privacy issues in politics and public policy, addressing the question, “How much importance should be given to privacy considerations when making public policy?”

The Academic Conference
The Public Event

The Academic Conference

The aim of the conference is to achieve a substantial and much-needed contribution to the understanding of privacy ethics through a robust engagement between theoretical and practical perspectives. Thus, the conference will feature papers from leading philosophers and other specialists, covering areas such as Politics, Criminal Justice, Information Technology, Medicine and Bioethics, and also more general theoretical questions about the nature and value of privacy.

We expect that the discussions about the nature and value of privacy will value from the discussion of privacy in specific contexts and vice versa. Topics will include:

• Privacy in the public domain
• Public interest justifications for loss of privacy
• Privacy and confidentiality in therapeutic contexts
• Privacy after death

Main webpage for the Academic Conference
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Public Event

In addition, there will be a panel event, open to the public, addressing the question, “How much importance should be given to privacy considerations when making public policy?” The speakers are:

• Matthew Taylor (Chief Executive of RSA, formerly IPPR and 10 Downing Street)
• David Leigh (The Guardian, author of The Liar: Fall of Jonathan Aitken)
• Onora O’Neill (Philosopher, author of A Question of Trust (Reith Lectures 2002))
• Pauline Neville-Jones (Security Minister) has had to withdraw from the event due to ministerial commitments.

Each speaker will deliver a 15 minute address, and then about an hour will be devoted to audience questions.

Main webpage for the Public Event

Please note the start time for this event is 5.00pm.
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We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Mind Association, the Analysis Trust, the Society for Applied Philosophy and banking software company Temenos.