M-RCBG Senior Fellow-Led Study Group: John Fiske
Tuesday, February 4, 4:30-6:00 L-332
Join M-RCBG Senior Fellow John Fiske for a discussion: "Structural Safeguards for Social Media: Pipe Dream or Path Forward?"
This study group / discussion is open to all HUID holders. Registration is not necessary.
M-RCBG welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs. To request accommodations or ask questions about access provided, please email: mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu

John Fiske is currently Director of Data Protection at Meta where he manages a team of subject matter experts advising the business on a wide range of privacy-related issues. Recent focus areas include the definition and framing of various types of AI risk, operationalization of fairness and transparency concepts, evaluation of operational controls around sensitive data, etc. Another of his long-term focus areas is identity assurance. Recent advances in digital identification allow privacy-protective identity assurance, subject to user controls and selective disclosure. This potentially opens up a range of online safety improvements without compromising privacy. John Fiske has spent his career in the technology sector, in a range of product management, consultative, operational and general management roles. Prior to joining Meta, John was a VP at SAP, focused on data management products, and served as COO for a global business unit. He has also worked for various telecom service providers (Comcast, Cable & Wireless, AOL) and consultancies (Gemini Consulting, CEB/Gartner). He has an A.B from Harvard in Sanskrit & Indian Studies and an MBA from INSEAD. He lives with his family in Arlington, Virginia. While an M-RCBG Senior Fellow, John will explore structural options to reduce online harm. These options include information integrity controls, identity assurance, fair distribution, accountability, and other mechanisms. While each of these offers potential improvements, they also pose societal tradeoffs which much be considered carefully. Understanding this tension will hopefully help regulators and technology companies better balance online protections with user rights and freedoms. John’s faculty sponsor is John Haigh, Co-Director, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Email: jfiske@hks.harvard.edu