The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) launched the Scholar-in-Residence program to enable researchers to participate in the work of her office, while on academic leave or sabbatical from their affiliated academic institution.
As digital technologies play an increasingly influential role in the lives of young people, the privacy regulator appointed Dr. Jacquelyn Burkell to support the shaping privacy and access to information policy development in support of IPC key strategic priority area on Children and Youth in a Digital World. Dr. Burkell was recently in conversation with Commissioner Patricia Kosseim to discuss some of these challenges and how digital platforms use persuasive design to influence the privacy decisions and choices of young people.
A leading expert on youth privacy, Dr. Jacquelyn Burkell is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario and an Associate member of the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society. She holds a PhD in psychology with a specialization in cognitive science. Her research examines the social impacts of technology and explores how insights from psychology and sociology can inform legal and policy spaces. She is notably a co-lead with Prof. Jane Bailey of the SSHRC-funded project “Rethinking Consent in Light of Scientific and Technological Developments” which explores alternatives to the individual informed consent model for the release of personal information.
As IPC Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Burkell will contribute valuable perspectives on the opportunities and challenges young people face in today’s digital environment. She will have the unique opportunity to directly collaborate with IPC staff to advance efforts to protect Ontario’s children and youth online while promoting digital literacy through education and empowerment.
Congratulations to Dr. Burkell!