On Monday, September 15, 2014, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will host a workshop in Washington, D.C., that is free and open to the public, exploring the use of big data and its impact on American consumers.   Don’t have your plane ticket reserved?  Not a problem!  The workshop starts at 9:00 am EST and those who are unable to attend the workshop in person can attend via webcast.

The workshop, entitled “Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion?”, will include presentations and panel discussions featuring academics, business and industry representatives, and consumer advocates. It will address the following issues:

• How are organizations using big data to categorize customers?
• What benefits do consumers gain from these practices? Do these practices raise consumer protection concerns?
• What benefits do organizations gain from these practices? What are the social and economic impacts, both positive and negative, from the use of big data to categorize consumers?
• How do existing laws apply to such practices? Are there gaps in the legal framework?
• Are companies appropriately assessing the impact of big data practices on low income and underserved populations? Should additional measures be considered?