Andrew R. Randall Chair Investiture Ceremony and Lecture

Please join us on Monday, February 9th, at 4:30pm for a reception in Barristers Hall for the Investiture of Woodrow Hartzog as the Andrew R. Randall Professor of Law. Introductory remarks from Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Associate Dean Jessica Silbey, and Professor Stacey Dogan will begin shortly after 4:30pm, followed by the Inaugural Lecture from Woodrow Hartzog. What If We Were Wrong About How to Protect Privacy?  U.S. privacy law rests on three ideas: individuals should control their informational destinies; rules should target how others handle our data; and we should protect our most intimate, secret details from exposure. These concepts of individual control, limits on data processing, and privileging sensitive information are the backbone of modern privacy frameworks. But, as you may have noticed, things aren’t going great. Companies and governments now collect more information from more sources than ever, and lawmakers’ familiar responses haven’t helped. We have a record number of privacy rules and yet we have never been more exposed. Social media and artificial intelligence have pushed our privacy to the brink. This talk asks whether lawmakers missed the mark by prioritizing individuals, data processing, and sensitivity. More of the same will only dig us deeper into the privacy hole. A better approach looks to collective well‑being, design, and, perhaps counterintuitively, the ordinary and mundane.

When 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm on 9 February 2026
Building Boston University School of Law
Room Barristers Hall, First Floor
Contact Email lawevent@bu.edu
Contact Organization LAW Marketing & Communications
Fees free
Open To bu
Speakers Woodrow Hartzog