On June 3, at 5:00 p.m. Moscow time (GMT+3), the Valdai Discussion Club will hold a session, titled “The Right to Privacy in the World of Big Data” within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

       For a long time, the Valdai Club, headed by Andrey Bystritsky, Chairman of the Board of its Foundation for Development and Support, has been closely following the development of information and communication technologies and their influence, not only on international relations, but also on social relations. In the modern world, people are almost automatically deprived of the right to privacy as soon as they become users of social networks or various applications. The information that social networks and online services collect about users can become public domain, part of Big Data, which makes users vulnerable to manipulation by services, companies, governments and hackers.

       In recent years, the question of the need to outline the boundaries of what is acceptable regarding Big Data processing has been increasingly raised. There is a need to transfer legal norms from the real world to the virtual one and ensure their observance. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue many times. The Valdai Club experts have repeatedly noted that tracing contact with possible carriers of the coronavirus, the use of artificial intelligence to control violations of the lockdown regimes, and much more began to be seen as necessary measures. In different countries, the issue of regulation is resolved in different ways. Sometime state interests are the priority, and sometimes private interests are.

       Is it necessary to define the boundaries of the concept of “private life” in the new situation, or has it remained unchanged?

       How to regulate adherence to legal and ethical standards in social media and should we do this?

       Is it possible to adequately combine the self-regulation of networks with government regulation?

       Speakers:

       Igor Ashmanov, General Director, Kribrum; Managing Partner, Ashmanov and Partners

       Christopher Gerry, Associate Professor of Russian and Eurasian Political Economy, Dean, St. Antony’s College University of Oxford; Professor, Visiting Lecturer, Saint-Petersburg School of Social Sciences and Area Studies HSE

       Sergei Plugotarenko, Director, Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC)

       Mikhail Fedotov, Director, International Research and Educational Center “UNESCO Chair on Copyright, Neighboring, Cultural and Information Rights” of the National Research University Higher School of Economics

       Roman Maksimov, Chief Executive Officer, Rutube

       Tatyana Matveeva, Head, Presidential Directorate for the Development of Information and Communication Technology and Communication Infrastructure

       Igor Pototsky, Chairman of the Committee on Entrepreneurship in the Field of Media Communications, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation; General Director, STP Sales House

       Moderator:

       Andrei Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board, Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club; Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics

       Working languages : Russian, English.

       Venue: Pavilion G, conference hall G3, Expoforum, Peterburgskoye highway 64/1, St. Petersburg.

       Access to the event is possible for SPIEF participants and journalists accredited at the Forum.