As law and computer science interact in critical ways within sociotechnical systems, recognition is growing of significant gaps between these disciplines that create potential risks for privacy and data protection. These gaps need to be bridged to ensure that computer systems are designed and implemented to correctly address applicable legal requirements and that interpretations of legal concepts accurately reflect the capabilities and limitations of technical systems. 

We will explore some of the gaps between the legal and computer science views of privacy and suggest directions towards mitigating them while respecting the values and principles of both disciplines.

Partly based on work in progress with Micah Altman and Aloni Cohen

Kobbi Nissim is a Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Computer Science, Georgetown University and an Affiliate Professor at Georgetown Law (currently on sabbatical in Google Tel-Aviv). Before Joining Georgetown, he was at the Department of Computer Science, Ben-Gurion University and a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Research on Computation and Society, Harvard University.

Nissim’s work from 2003 and 2004 with Dinur and Dwork initiated rigorous foundational research of privacy and in 2006 he introduced Differential Privacy with Dwork, McSherry and Smith. Nissim was awarded the Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award in 2021, Caspar Bowden Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) award in 2019, the Godel Prize In 2017, the IACR TCC Test of Time Award in 2016 and 2018, and the ACM PODS Alberto O. Mendelzon Test-of-Time Award in 2013.

Kobbi Nissim studied at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of professors Uri Feige (towards an MSc degree) and Moni Naor (towards a PhD degree).