ND-IBM Technology Ethics Lab graduate fellow Perla Khattar recently published new work in Tech Policy Press. The article, titled "Neural Data and Consumer Privacy: California’s New Frontier in Data Protection and Neurorights," assesses the potential impact of California's recent amendment to its Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) classifying neural data as sensitive personal information. The amendment places stricter compliance requirements on companies collecting this data, including explicit consumer consent and enhanced security measures. The law is part of a broader global movement towards protecting mental privacy, with California leading the way alongside other stakeholders such as Chile and the European Union. Khattar argues that as neurotechnology continues to evolve, this legislation could set a precedent for global neurorights standards, balancing innovation with ethical safeguards for personal autonomy and privacy.
Khattar is a doctoral candidate at the University of Notre Dame Law School, where she is pursuing her J.S.D. with a focus on consumer digital privacy. Under the guidance of Paolo Carozza, her dissertation, titled "Consumer Digital Privacy: The Argument for a Universal and Standardized Right Afforded to Every Human Around the Globe," explores the necessity of a comprehensive approach to digital privacy rights.
Perla earned her LL.M., summa cum laude, from Loyola University College of Law, and her LL.B., magna cum laude, from La Sagesse University in Beirut, Lebanon.
Perla's research and writings delve into various facets of law and technology, with a particular emphasis on privacy, online speech governance, and digital rights. Her articles have been published in prestigious legal journals in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and she has contributed to academic blogs discussing the intersection of privacy and emerging technologies.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Perla is deeply engaged in advocacy and activism. She founded Project OOPS (Online and Offline, Privacy and Security), an initiative dedicated to educating children on privacy and security risks. She also served as an executive board member of a Lebanese non-profit, where she played a key role in advocating for the rights of marginalized groups and challenged discriminatory laws.
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The Notre Dame–IBM Technology Ethics Lab, which is a key component of the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, promotes broad-based, far-reaching interdisciplinary research, thought, and policy leadership in artificial intelligence and other technology ethics by engaging with relevant stakeholders to examine real-world challenges and provide practical models and applied solutions for ethical technology design, development, and deployment. The Lab is sponsored by IBM through a 10-year, $20-million investment.
Originally published by at techethicslab.nd.edu on November 21, 2024.