Latanya Sweeney, Ph.D.

How it started
In my earliest memories, I always wanted to be a mathematician. I was drawn to the certainty of truth realized through mathematical formalisms. In high school (at Dana Hall Schools), I was introduced to my first computer, and the certainty I enjoyed with math took physical form in programming --the logical thought process led to real-world programs. It seemed as though I could get a computer to solve any problem. The integration of creativity, mathematical certainty, and real-world applicability has powered my pursuits from that point forward.

Prior success
Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science, Technology and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, founder and director of the Data Privacy Lab, and an elected fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, with almost 100 academic publications, 2 patents, citations in the Federal Register for 2 regulations, and 3 company spin-offs. I have received professional and academic awards, and testified before federal and international government bodies. In 2009, through a national GAO search, I was appointed to the privacy and security seat of the Federal Health Information Technology Policy Committee.

My mission
Historic approaches to the 3 pillars of privacy (consent, notice, and de-identification) seem to be challenged in today's data-rich networked world. My current mission is to assess the current setting and introduce new technology-powered instruments or modifications to old instruments, as needed. The goal is to allow society to reap the benefits of emerging technologies while enjoying privacy protection.

My strategy
The emergence of big data (large-scale collections of detailed personal information) makes today a critical time for scientific investigations that assess the nature and extent of privacy concerns in today's settings and propose prudent modifications and new directions as needed. I term this the era of the "privacy rethink". The privacy rethink is happening within legacy environments, such as HIPAA. The rethink is also happening at architectural levels too, such as open consent and privacy-preserving marketplaces. Working with my collaborators, our goals are efforts that offer thought leadership, working prototypes, and factual knowledge to inform and educate public and scientific discourse on this topic.

Academic Positions

• Director and Founder, Data Privacy Lab, Harvard University.
• Visiting Professor, Harvard University, Computer Science, School of Engineering and Applied Science.
• Visiting Scholar, Harvard University, Center for Research on Computation and Society.

Corporate Affiliations

No issued licenses limit my access to these technologies for academic purposes.
• Privacert has licenses to some of my technologies and is using these licenses to make the methods and results openly accessible.
• Hand ID owns patents to some technologies created by my colleagues and me. I maintain some ownership interest and hold an official position.
• CITC has licenses to some of my technologies. I maintain no ownership interest or hold any official position. I do maintain sufficient involvement to assure my technology is being properly deployed.
• Datanon, LLC had licenses to some of my technologies, which are now available through Privacert, Inc.

View old Research Projects or see old Research Artifacts.

Keywords: learning, data anonymity, privacy technology, re-identification, data linkage

On the light side...

• collection of famous quotations