“Computing in the cloud” is one name for services that run in a Web browser and store information in a provider’s data center — ranging from adaptations of familiar tools such as email and personal finance to new offerings such as virtual worlds and social networks. This workshop will bring together experts from computer science, law, politics and industry to explore the social and policy implications of this trend.

Video Recordings:

Introduction
Panel 1
Panel 2
Research Presentation
Panel 3
Panel 4

Sponsored by Microsoft

Day One: Monday, January 14, 2008

Registration (10:00 AM – 11:15 AM)

Introductory remarks by H. Vincent Poor (11:15 AM – 11:25 AM)

Survey talk by Ed Felten (11:25 PM – 12:00 PM)

Lunch (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM)

Panel 1: Possession and Ownership of Data (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM)

In cloud computing, a provider’s data center holds information that would more traditionally have been stored on the end user’s computer. How does this impact user privacy? To what extent do users “own” this data, and what obligations do the service providers have? What obligations should they have? Does moving the data to the provider’s data center improve security or endanger it?

• Moderator: Ed Felten, Director, CITP
• Joel Reidenberg, (home page), Professor of Law, Fordham University
• Timothy B. Lee, blogger at Technology Liberation Front and adjunct scholar, Cato Institute
• Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center

Break (3:00 PM – 3:30 PM)

Panel 2: Security and Risk in the Cloud (3:30 PM – 5:00 PM)

How does the move to centralized services affect the security and reliability of users’ interactions with technology? What new threats are likely to emerge? How might provider behavior, user behavior, or government policy need to change in response to those threats? How does the “open source” ethos work in a cloud computing environment?

• Moderator: Alex Halderman, CITP
• Marc Hedlund, founder and Chief Product Officer, Wesabe.com
• Mihai Christodorescu (home page), researcher at IBM TJ Watson Research Center
• Benjamin Mako Hill, researcher at MIT Media Lab and Free Software Foundation

Reception (5:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

Day Two: Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Continental Breakfast (8:00 AM – 9:00 AM)

Princeton research presentation and discussion (9:00 AM – 10:00 AM)

Break (10:00 AM – 10:30 AM)

Panel 3: Civics in the Cloud (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

How and where can cloud computing best improve public knowledge and engagement in political issues? What has been achieved so far? What is possible in the long run? What moves by private actors, and what policy changes, might do the most to harness the power of cloud computing for civic engagement?

• Moderator: David Robinson, Associate Director, CITP
• Josh Tauberer (home page), founder of Govtrack.us
• Andrew Page, Associate Director, MAPLight.org
• John Wonderlich, Program Director, Sunlight Foundation

Lunch (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM)

Panel 4: What’s Next? (1:30 PM – 3:00 PM)

What new services might develop, and how will today’s services evolve? How well will cloud computing be likely to serve users, companies, investors, government, and the public over the longer run? Which social and policy problems will get worse due to cloud computing, and which will get better?

• Moderator: Andrea LaPaugh, (home page) Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University
• Reihan Salam, The Atlantic Monthly
• Jesse Robbins, O’Reilly Radar
• Jonathan Rochelle, Google

Closing Remarks (3:00 PM – 3:15 PM)