Media Advisory: Buffalo’s top FBI agent, IBM chief privacy officer and others to discuss Internet security Wednesday

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The rise of the Digital Age has left people, businesses, government agencies and critical infrastructure vulnerable to data theft and Internet-based threats.

To examine this relatively new phenomenon, the University at Buffalo has launched “Digital Challenges,” a new lecture series centered on the promise and pitfalls of digital communication.

“Given what’s happening in the world, from Edward Snowden and the NSA to security breaches at some of the nation’s biggest corporations, there is a need to think critically about how digital communication is affecting our lives,” said J. Brice Bible, vice president and chief information officer at UB.

The first event, titled “Your Digital Footprint,” runs from noon to 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the Student Union Theater on UB’s North Campus. It is open to the public and features the following five guest speakers:

• 12:15-12:45 p.m. – Brian Boetig, special agent in charge of the Buffalo office of the FBI.
• 1-1:45 p.m. – Tracy Mitrano, director of IT Policy and the Institute for Computer Policy and Law at Cornell University. Her lecture is titled “Laws Disturbed by the Internet and What to Do About Them.”
• 2-3:15 p.m. – Marcus Ranum, chief security officer at Maryland-based Tenable Network Security. His lecture is titled “Privacy in the Connected Age.”
• 3:30-4:30 p.m. – Kirsten Martin, assistant professor of strategic management and public policy at George Washington University. Her lecture is titled “How Companies Track Individuals Online.”
• 5-6:20 p.m. – Christina Peters, chief privacy officer at IBM. Her lecture is titled “Privacy and Innovations in the Age of Big Data.”

Digital Challenges is organized by University Libraries and UB Information Technology, along with UB’s Office of Student Affairs, the Office of Educational Innovation and Assessment, and the Center of Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education (CEISARE).