Information Privacy

Information privacy law is a vast topic that affects almost all businesses, administrative agencies, and individuals in the United States today. This course will explore the ever-burgeoning number of statutes that give legal actors varying amounts of control over bundles of information that are usually, but not always, personal to an individual in some sense -- known in the field as Personally Identifiable Information ("PII"). Among other things, the course will cover the roots and evolution of Unites States privacy law, the challenges of regulating information in the modern era, and the various governance mechanisms involved in controlling PII, such as statutory, regulatory, administrative, common law, and industry-based self-governance approaches, as well as social norms. Topics will include, but will not be limited to, the law of electronic surveillance and cybersecurity, medical record privacy (HIPAA), consumer data privacy, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Registration is limited to upperclass law school students at Columbia Law School only.