Big Data, Law & Policy

This seminar introduces students to societal perspectives on the big data revolution. Discussing important contributions from machine learning and data science, the course explores their legal, economic, ethical, and political implications in the past, present, and future.

This course is intended both for students of machine learning and data science who want to reflect on the societal implications of their field, and for students from other disciplines who want to explore the societal impact of data sciences. The course will first discuss some of the methodological foundations of machine learning, followed by a discussion of research papers and real-world applications where big data and societal values may clash. Potential topics include the implications of big data for privacy, liability, insurance, health systems, voting, and democratic institutions, as well as the use of predictive algorithms for price discrimination and the criminal justice system. Guest speakers, weekly readings and reaction papers ensure a lively debate among participants from various backgrounds.

This course is offered as part of the Master of Science, Technology and Policy at ETH Zurich. In addition, it is offered as a seminar in the Computer Science Master and the Data Science Master curriculum at ETH Zurich. Finally, it is open to other ETH students through the Science in Perspective program of the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences.