Meet the Team: Q&A With Brandon
What brings you to the Center on Privacy & Technology?
During my time in law school, I worked across technology law and policy areas for my internships on issues related to competition, broadband, Section 230, artificial intelligence (AI), privacy and spectrum. My main interest is in privacy and I chose to work at the Center on Privacy & Technology to have an opportunity to contribute to writings and research that can help inform audiences outside of the technology community about the ongoing changes in privacy policies. The ongoing changes that interest me are ongoing regulations for privacy laws at the state level, whether AI will become regulated and the influence of the intersection of AI and privacy, particularly with education surveillance.
What workstreams are you most excited to work on or tap into while at the Center on Privacy & Technology?
My work includes worker surveillance, preparing the Color of Surveillance convening, and issues with criminal surveillance like facial recognition. With worker surveillance, I am currently engaging in strategic research of a particular corporation to help understand the surveillance infrastructure that corporation’s workers are forced to labor under. Since 2016 the Center on Privacy & Technology has hosted “The Color of Surveillance,” a convening highlighting how surveillance disproportionately impacts communities of color and marginalized communities. I’m excited to assist in organizing the next event in the series. With criminal surveillance, often the technology used relies on AI technology that may be biased and unreliable. For example, police are using facial recognition that can often misidentify black citizens and other people of color and lead to the arrest of the wrong person.
What area of privacy work are you most excited to learn more about during your fellowship?
I am particularly excited to work on building out a potential curriculum for the Center on Privacy & Technology’s Cop Out work. The curriculum would be geared toward middle and high school students and will aim to provide resources about how algorithms are used in police work.
School just started around the country. What advice do you have for a 1L?
Definitely focus on doing the best you can during your first semester, but don’t let your grades stress you out. Perhaps just as important as grades is networking. It is never too early to set up appointments to connect with people. I started connecting with people during my second week of law school and it helped me to decide which internships to target during my first summer. As you enter your second year, feel free to take courses in your interest area. You will potentially get more out of those courses than bar prep classes and it can supplement the work that you do in your internships. It does not matter if you have not settled on a practice area, the information that you learn will help you build skills that you can use in any practice area.
Similarly, what advice do you have for 3Ls facing the fellowship and job market?
Be patient with the job application process. Don’t be discouraged if you have not secured a placement prior to the bar. The most important thing is to apply broadly and develop quality applications.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I really enjoy trying new restaurants around the DMV area. I like most foods, so restaurants that I try vary from Greek, Seafood, Italian, etc. I also like biking and running on the local trails and paths.
