San Francisco - Prof. Ray Brescia Book Talk and Alumni Dinner
The Private Is Political: Identity and Democracy in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism
A Conversation and Book Signing with Associate Dean Ray Brescia
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Hotel Adagio
550 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Celebrate the release of the new book, The Private Is Political: Identity and Democracy in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism, by Ray Brescia, Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life and the Hon. Harold R Tyler Chair in Law and Technology at Albany Law School. Dean Brescia will discuss his new book, which exposes the threats to our personal and political identity in the age of surveillance.
President and Dean Cinnamon P. Carlarne will also provide an update on the law school. This is a terrific opportunity to connect with California-area alumni and Albany Law faculty and administrators attending the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting.
Complimentary dinner will accompany the book talk and signing. Attendees will receive a free copy of the book!
About the Book
The Private Is Political: Identity and Democracy in the Age of Surveillance Capitalism
The Private is Political explores the failure of existing legal systems and institutions to protect our online presence and identities. Examining the ways in which the digital space is under threat from both governments and private actors, Ray Brescia reveals how the rise of private surveillance prevents individuals from organizing with others who might help to catalyze change in their lives. Brescia argues that we are not far from a world where surveillance chills not just our speech, but our very identities. This will ultimately stifle our ability to live full lives, realize democracy, and even shape the laws that affect our privacy itself.
Beyond merely identifying the harms to individuals from privacy violations, Brescia furthers our understanding of privacy by identifying and naming political privacy and the integrity of identity as central to democracy. The Private is Political empowers consumers by outlining a roadmap for a comprehensive privacy regime, leveraging various institutions to collectively safeguard privacy rights.
About Ray Brescia
Ray Brescia is the Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life and Hon. Harold R Tyler Chair in Law and Technology at Albany Law School. Brescia combines his prior experience as a public interest attorney in New York City with his scholarly interests to address economic and social inequality, the legal and policy implications of financial crises, how innovative legal and regulatory approaches can improve economic and community development efforts, and the need to expand access to justice for people of low and moderate income.
A full bio and curriculum vitae is here.
Hotel Adagio
550 Geary St
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States