Cloud Robotics, Data Security and Privacy

This is another Meetup program sponsored by the High Technology Law Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.

Our topic is "cloud robotics," and its data security and privacy implications. Our guest speakers for August's Meetup are Drew Simshaw and Kris Hauser at Indiana University.

Topic Description:

In the same way that individuals and organizations utilize the cloud as a convenient and cost effective way to store and manage data, soon too will robots. “Cloud robotics” has been described as “a new approach to robotics that takes advantage of the Internet as a resource for massively parallel computation and sharing of vast data resources.” In short, the cloud will make robots lighter, cheaper, more efficient, and able to learn from each other. But cloud robotics appears poised to join a host of modern technologies whose development has rapidly outpaced the legal and regulatory regimes implemented to protect the security and privacy of data. This presentation will identify the unique data security and privacy challenges posed by cloud robotics, and consider how the law can begin to address them, so that when this technology enters our homes, hospitals, and organizations, the robots’ heads will be in the clouds, but ours will not.

Our Speakers:

Drew Simshaw is an information security policy analyst at the Center for Law, Ethics, and Applied Research in Health Information (CLEAR) at Indiana University. His work focuses on security and privacy issues associated with cloud computing, big data, and new technologies. He previously served as Postdoctoral Fellow in Information Security Law and Policy at the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, an NSA and DHS National Center of Academic Excellence in both Information Assurance Education and Information Assurance Research. A proud AmeriCorps alum, Drew earned his B.A. from the University of Washington and his J.D. from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he was an articles editor for the Federal Communications Law Journal. He is a member of the Indiana Bar and the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Kris Hauser is Assistant Professor in Indiana University's School of Informatics and Computing, where he directs the Intelligent Motion Lab. He received his PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2008, and bachelor's degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 2003. Research interests include algorithms for robot motion planning and control, integration of planning and perception, and semiautonomous robots. Applications of his research have included vehicle collision avoidance, robotic manipulation, robot-assisted medicine, and legged locomotion in rough terrain. He is a recipient of a Stanford Graduate Fellowship, Siebel Scholar Fellowship, and the NSF CAREER award.

A dial-in is in the comment section below for those who can't be there in person. Please indicate on an RSVP if you plan to attend in person.

Please note the new location in downtown San Jose at the Silicon Valley Law Group.