Conference on Trade Secrets and Algorithmic Systems
Friday-Saturday, November 16-17, 2018
NYU School of Law
Lipton Hall, D’Agostino Hall
108 West 3rd Street
Organizers: Rochelle Dreyfuss (Engelberg Center Faculty), Katherine Strandburg (ILI Faculty), and Julia Powles (ILI Fellow)
Co-sponsors: Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy and Information Law Institute
Abstract: This conference explored the increasingly important issues raised by trade secrecy protection of data-driven decisionmaking algorithms. Its distinctive contribution was to bring innovation policy and intellectual property law expertise to the emerging debate about these tools. Participants:
- Examined the extent to which trade secrecy is a necessary and desirable means for promoting socially desirable innovation in decisionmaking algorithms and consider possible alternatives.
- Considered the potential implications of trade secrecy for competition among developers of decisionmaking algorithms.
- Discussed the implications of trade secrecy for the ongoing validation, error correction and updating of these tools.
- Analyzed the intersection between these innovation policy issues and the concerns about accountability, transparency, privacy and fairness that have so far dominated the debate about data-driven decisionmaking algorithms.
Videos
Session I: Foundations
Session II: Case Studies: Private Sector
Session III: Case Studies: Public Sector
Session IV: Decisionmaking Algorithms, Trade Secrecy and Competition
Session V: Decisionmaking Algorithms, Trade Secrecy and Incentives
Session VI: Trade Secrecy and Forensic Technology Roundtable
Session VII: Mapping the Solution Space: Toward Socially Beneficial and Accountable Decisionmaking Systems Roundtable
Agenda
Day 1: Friday, November 16
8:30-9:15 Breakfast
9:15-10:45 Session I. Foundations
Moderator: Katherine Strandburg (NYU)
• Introduction to Decisionmaking Algorithms: Jeanna Matthews (Clarkson)
• Introduction to Trade Secrecy Law and Policy: Rochelle Dreyfuss (NYU)
• Overview of Issues with Secret Algorithmic Systems: Jason Schultz (NYU)
10:45-11:15 Break
11:15-12:30 Session II. Case Studies: Private Sector
Moderator: Ari Waldman (New York Law School)
• Employment: Ari Waldman (New York Law School)
• Health: Glenn Cohen (Harvard)
• Consumer Credit: Yafit Lev-Aretz (Baruch College)
12:30-1:45 Lunch
1:45-3:00 Session III. Case Studies: Public Sector
Moderator: Lauren Kirchner (The Markup)
• Algorithms and Agencies: David Levine (Elon)
• Smart Cities: Aaron Shapiro (Penn)
• Forensic Evidence and the Courts: Natalie Ram (Baltimore)
3:00-3:30 Break
3:30-5:00 Session IV. Algorithmic Systems, Trade Secrecy and Competition
Moderator: Harry First (NYU)
• Gintarė Surblyte-Namavičienė (Vilnius)
• Scott Hemphill (NYU)
• Katherine Strandburg and Eli Siems (NYU)
Day 2: Saturday, November 17
8:30-9:15 Breakfast
9:15-10:45 Session V. Algorithmic Systems, Trade Secrecy and Incentives
Moderator: Amanda Levendowski (NYU)
• Jeanne Fromer (NYU)
• Nicholson Price (Michigan)
• Jonathan Manes (Buffalo)
10:45-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-1:00 Session VI. Trade Secrecy and Forensic Technology Roundtable
Chair: Erin Murphy (NYU)
Rebecca Wexler (Yale ISP), Dana Delger (Innocence Project), Christopher Slobogin (Vanderbilt)
1:00-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Session VII. Mapping the Solution Space: Toward Socially Beneficial and Accountable Algorithmic Systems Roundtable
Chair: Julia Powles (NYU)
Andrew Tutt (Arnold & Porter), Natalie Ram (Baltimore), Colleen Chien (Santa Clara), Andrew Selbst (Data & Society), Sonia Katyal (Berkeley), Vincent Southerland (NYU)