Hear what the experts say on Privacy and Identity

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE WEATHER CONDITIONS. WE HOPE TO REARRANGE IT FOR A DATE IN THE FUTURE.

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An event taking place next week at the University of Southampton brings together noted experts from public life to tackle the debate surrounding privacy and identity.

The debate is important because in our increasingly complex and connected lives, issues such as identity theft, the fragility of digital information, the availability and use of private records and the huge amount of personal information on the Web, all pose a threat to our security and wellbeing.

What can we do about this? How can our personal records be kept safe? Is the Data Protection Act adequate? What is the role of the law? How can IT security keep pace with technology? – These are just some of the questions likely to be raised by the audience next week and argued by a distinguished panel of experts, brought together by the Web Science Trust and the Bathwick Group.

Members of the public are invited to attend the event, which will follow a 'Question Time' format, on Tuesday 12 January at 5.30 pm in the University’s Nightingale Lecture Theatre, and to contribute to the discussion. Admission is free of charge and no tickets are required, but questions from the audience can be submitted in advance here.

The Panellists are:

• Simon Davies is one of the world's best known and most experienced privacy advocates. He is founder and director of Privacy International, a London-based human rights group formed in 1990 as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations.

• Tim Kelsey is Chair of the Executive Board of Dr Foster Intelligence, the UK's leading health and social care informatics organisation. The company, a joint venture with the NHS Information Centre, is a public-private partnership committed to improving the accessibility, coverage and use of intelligent information among frontline care professionals.

• Liam Maxwell is a Councillor and the Lead Member for Policy and Performance at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, where his brief includes Information Technology. His background is as an IT Director in Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 business service companies.

• Nigel Shadbolt is Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the University of Southampton’s School of Electronics and Computer Science. In 2009, he was appointed by the Prime Minister as a government information advisor alongside Sir Tim Berners-Lee to transform access to Government information.

In the Chair will be Jonathan Steel, Chief Executive of the Bathwick Group.

The event is part of the Bathwick Group’s ‘Connected World’ series and is held in conjunction with the Web Science Trust, NESTA, and the University of Southampton.

All are welcome.

For further information contact Joyce Lewis; tel. +44(0) 23 8059 5453