March 22 2012

PI.lab to open in Tilburg on 3 April

On 3 April, Radboud University Nijmegen, TNO, Tilburg University and SIDN (the company behind .nl) are launching the Privacy & Identity Lab (PI.lab). This joint expertise centre will develop solutions for enhancing on-line privacy and managing electronic identities. The PI.lab is unique because of its integrated approach to the technical, legal and socioeconomic aspects of privacy and identity protection.

Proper privacy protection and sound management of electronic identities are vital to the creation of confidence in the information society. Where insufficient attention is given to these issues, the development of socially significant services can suffer. In the Netherlands, for example, several high-profile initiatives . electronic medical records, public transport smartcards and smart meters . have all foundered. The ongoing distribution of personal data and the value of such data to private citizens, consumers and companies demand the effective protection of privacy and electronic identities.

Sound management of on-line privacy and identities depends on combining knowledge from various disciplines. The Privacy & Identity Lab (PI.lab) pools the expertise of people working in all the relevant disciplines. The PI.lab will have a research team made up of several dozen experts from Tilburg University (Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and society, TILT), Radboud University (Institute of Computing and Information Science), TNO (Information Security and Strategies for the Information Society) and SIDN (the company behind .nl).

The PI.lab will accumulate academic knowledge, participate in national and international research projects and develop (prototypes for) practical applications. Acquired knowledge will be transferred by means of conferences, knowledge seminars, publications and practical, market-oriented research and implementation activities.

On 3 April 2012, the PI.lab will be officially opened with a congress exploring the current research landscape and the roles of the business community and government. At the conference, the PI.lab will show delegates the fields it is active in and demonstrate its approach. Proceedings will be will formally initiated in the afternoon by Jacob Kohnstamm (Chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority).

The Hague, 17 November 2011

Privacy protection

The quartet has set up the expertise centre because proper privacy protection and sound management of electronic identities have taken on great importance in modern society. “Where insufficient attention is given to these issues, the acceptance and development of socially significant ICT systems can suffer,” commented Ronald Leenes, Professor of Regulation through Technology at Tilburg University and the Lab’s prospective scientific director. “In the Netherlands, for example, several high-profile initiatives – electronic medical records, public transport smartcards and smart meters - have all foundered. The problem is partly that the systems are getting more and more complex.”

Aim

The PI.Lab will acquire academic knowledge by actively participating in national and international research projects and programmes. However, the application of this knowledge is at least as important. “A central feature of the Lab is its strategy for making practical use of the expertise that is built up,” continues Leenes. “We don’t want what we learn to remain confined to academic journals. The PI.Lab will therefore look to provide bespoke advice to business and government. There will also be dissemination activities, such as an annual conference, knowledge seminars and a series of publications.”

Competences

The PI.Lab’s founders believe that the way forward is a new integrated approach. That is why they have decided to pool their various competences with a view to developing better solutions. Tilburg University (represented by the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society (TILT)) will provide legal, ethical and social knowledge, Radboud University (represented by the Institute of Computing and Information Science) will contribute technological expertise and TNO will bring technological and policy insight (mainly through its Information Security Department and Strategies for the Information Society Department). SIDN’s role will be to fund three initial postgraduate research projects and to provide expert input on internet security and stability issues.

Start-up

PI.lab will be officially launched during the PI.Lab conference on April 3rd, 2012 (location and agenda to be announced) where members of the centre will present the ambitions and approaches planned for the center.

Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority, Roelof Meijer, CEO of SIDN, and Jan Mengelers, chairman of the Board of TNO will formally launch the PI.lab. You are cordially invited for the drinks served afterwards. Place and time will follow as soon as possible.

Should you wish to register now, or require further information about the lab, please contact Irma Haerkens (PI.Lab secretariat), i.haerkens@cs.ru.nl, +31 24-3653133.