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February 28, 2020 Feature

Message from the Chair

Julie A. Fleming

Exploring Data Issues

The “Data” theme of this issue of The SciTech Lawyer returns to a core focus area of the Science & Technology Law Section: Information Technology. Several veteran contributors are returning for this issue, including Rick Aldrich, who follows up his article from 2019 on the landmark Carpenter case with a review of several significant recent data-focused decisions from the courts, and Information Security Committee Vice Chair Catherine Barrett, who revisits the European Union’s Data Privacy Regulation with a review of the regulatory compliance practices emerging from the first year of GDPR enforcement. We also present Cathy Petrozzino’s examination of ethics in Big Data, Mike Fleckenstein’s discussion of how lawyers may consider data value and management in the client-focused environment, and Dan Shefet’s examination of the GDPR’s “Right to Be Forgotten” principle, which is gaining global attention in evolving data regulation schemes. Finally, in a timely shift from the “Data” theme, Robert Metzger, Vice Chair of the Section’s Information Security Committee, reviews recent cyber vulnerabilities and attacks, and their consequences, inviting readers to turn earnest attention to the state of global cyber policy, laws, and regulations in light of recent international developments.

Live Events around SciTech

This issue of The SciTech Lawyer will be distributed at the Law Track of the RSA Conference in San Francisco, one of the preeminent Information Technology community events. For many years, SciTech has co-sponsored the Law Track and provided subject-matter experts to the panel selection process for the Conference’s 12 sessions in its Law Track, and SciTech members frequently develop and participate in the panels. The two-day Information Security Committee meeting that precedes the RSA Conference, along with the Law Track of the conference itself, offers an excellent opportunity for Section members to explore some of the critical information security issues that SciTech addresses.

The inaugural Artificial Intelligence and Robotics National Institute was presented at Santa Clara Law School January 9–10. AI is transforming every sector of industry, raising numerous, difficult legal and ethical issues ranging from contracting to liability to intellectual property and more, and the National Institute offered a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion of these issues. Keep your eyes open for the dates of the second AI and Robotics National Institute, and if you can’t wait until next year to dig into these emerging issues, please join the Section’s Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Committee.

Last but not least, the 5th Annual Internet of Things National Institute will be presented April 29–30 at the Washington, DC offices of Covington & Burling LLP. When everything is connected, everything changes, and National Institute attendees will gain practical insights to advise clients on the legal, legislative, regulatory, and liability issues of the IoT transformation along with deep dives into thought-provoking emerging global developments. Join us for this unparalleled exploration of IoT issues and networking opportunities! Visit ambar.org/iot2020 for details and to register.

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Julie A. Fleming