Privacy Scholar Network


Libertas Institute’s Privacy Scholar Network exists to produce independent, original scholarship studying the relationship between privacy and individual rights through rigorous research in the humanities and law. We study and promote privacy because it is a precondition to the existence of freedom itself.

Beginning with the development of the telegraph in the mid-nineteenth century, technological advances moved in a trend that valued the ability to produce and export information across greater distances as quickly as possible. This led to an explosion of information mediums. From radio, to television, to the internet, information in various forms is now available at your fingertips. 

However, these advances are not cost free. Convenience comes at a price, and that price is increasingly personal. The privacy implications of technological advances that rely on invasive technologies that mine the personal data of people across the globe is becoming a cause for public concern, and justifiably so. If we lose the ability to control our personal image, freedom will be lost.

This is true at both a government and interpersonal level. The ability to surveil a population gives law enforcement powerful tools to act in the interest of “public safety,” but this comes with a psychological price tag most people are unwilling to pay. At an interpersonal level, an inability to control information about yourself will undoubtedly have drastic implications for human relations.

To understand how to move forward as a society, we will need more than a data privacy framework. Instead, we need to understand what privacy is and why it is important. We need to protect this increasingly fragile individual right before it becomes a relic of a past era in which men and women lived without the cloud of psychological fear that comes with an absolute lack of control over individual personhood.

David Iglesias, State Government Affairs Associate
Welcome to our Scholar Network! Our goal is to build a partnership with relevant experts to make an impact in protecting our foundational right to privacy. If you’re interested in learning more about our network, I invite you to read the info on this page or reach out directly to me to begin a conversation!

Privacy Stories

Bob Wright

Senior Research Fellow

Daniel Woislaw

Constitutional Attorney

Nathaniel Burke

Senior Research Fellow

Scott Blackburn

Senior Research Fellow

Purpose of Scholars Work

The purpose of the scholars network is to build a solid research portfolio. This research will be used as the foundation of the policy recommendations Libertas makes to state legislatures. Scholars are not expected to make specific policy recommendations in their writing, but are free to do so. Any opinions expressed by scholars are solely their own and are not necessarily endorsed by Libertas. Research must be non-partisan. Thus, to the extent any policy recommendations are made, scholars are expected to refrain from endorsing specific political parties or candidates for public office.

Work Expected of Scholars

Scholars are expected to produce one research paper and one blog post annually. Scholars are free to co-author their pieces if they so choose. Scholars may opt to write more if they would like. Commission is provided for both pieces as detailed in the contract between Libertas and scholars.

Scholars reserve the right to choose the topic on which they write. Libertas will work to place working papers in scholarly journals.

Applications

We are actively looking to work with scholars who are interested in advancing a better understanding of the threats to privacy and how to preserve this right in an increasingly hostile environment.

We accept applications from liberty lovers of all disciplines. We welcome applications from full time scholars, policy analysts employed by think-tanks or government offices, students working towards a graduate or doctoral degree, and those who have substantial practical experience.

Click here to apply