Prof. Neil Richards

As troves of personal data are collected, stored, and used by governments and private companies in today’s digital age, privacy is becoming an increasing concern. Privacy is essentially about setting boundaries to limit the power that information confers on entities, whether public or private, over individuals. Without adequate privacy safeguards, governments have a blank check to interfere in legitimate political exercise. Companies are free to manipulate consumers through “dark patterns” and presenting an illusion of choice. Professor Neil Richards of the University of Washington in St. Louis School of Law explores where the U.S. legal framework potential falls short, namely in consumer protection against private entities, and the problems he sees ripe for reform. He proposes a few starting points to craft meaningful regulations for privacy, including combating deception and restricting surveillance-based advertising.

As troves of personal data are collected, stored, and used by governments and private companies in today’s digital age, privacy is becoming an increasing concern. Privacy is essentially about setting boundaries to limit the power that information confers on entities, whether public or private, over individuals. Without adequate privacy safeguards, governments have a blank check to interfere in legitimate political exercise and companies are free to manipulate consumers through “dark patterns.” Professor Neil Richards of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law discusses why privacy matters in the digital age and the current framework of constitutional protections against government surveillance. He then explores where the U.S. legal framework falls short, namely in consumer protection against private entities, and the ways in which the digital world is designed by tech companies to steer consumers into giving up ever more personal information.