Anita L. Allen explains why Facebook’s decision to shut down its facial-recognition system is good for privacy rights

Earlier this month, Facebook announced that it was shutting down its Face Recognition system and will delete more than a billion people’s individual facial-recognition templates. Penn Law spoke with Anita L. Allen about her insights on Facebook’s decision and what may have prompted it.

• Law
• Philosophy

One Person, Many Needs: How Customer Centricity Has Changed

In a recent workshop, Eric Bradlow encouraged firms to think beyond the old-school definition of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) — a metric that captures the worth of the entire relationship between firm and consumer. He said the modern definition of CLV includes how a single customer’s needs change over time.

• Economics
• Education
• Marketing
• Statistics

Social Media Bots May Appear Human, but Their Similar Personalities Give Them Away

Social bots, or automated social media accounts that pose as genuine people, have infiltrated all manner of discussions, including conversations about consequential topics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. A new study from Lyle Ungar and collaborators gives a closer look at how these bots disguise themselves.

• Computer and Information Science

School of Arts & Sciences Launches New Initiative in Data Driven Discovery

The School of Arts & Sciences has announced the establishment of a new Data Driven Discovery (DDD) Initiative, which will act as a hub for data science education and research across the School. Bhuvnesh Jain will serve as one the initiative’s inaugural co-directors.

Machine Learning Improved Greece’s Border Screening for COVID-19

Travel in Greece was safer in the summer of 2020, thanks to a new approach to COVID-19 border screening developed by Hamsa Bastani and collaborators. A new study in Nature demonstrates how Eva—a machine-learning system using up-to-date data on incoming travelers and their COVID-19 test results—helped Greece open for tourism.

• Operations Information and Decisions

Breaking ground at Penn’s cutting-edge data science hub

On October 1st, School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Vijay Kumar, President Amy Gutmann, naming donor Harlan Stone, and Penn Engineering Board Chair Rob Stavis broke ground on the new data science building on the corner of 34th and Chestnut Streets. Stone also unveiled the building’s official name, Amy Gutmann Hall.

• Computer and Information Science
• Electrical and Systems Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

New mathematical tools to study opinion dynamics

Using tools from the field of topology, Robert Ghrist and Ph.D. graduate Jakob Hansen developed a framework to track how opinions change over time in a wide range of scenarios, including ones where individuals can use deceptive behaviors and propaganda agents can drive a group’s consensus.

• Mathematics

Penn Media Accountability Project (PennMAP) Research and Outcomes to Expand Thanks to Leadership Gift

The Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania recently announced the expansion of the Penn Media Accountability Project (PennMAP), an interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research project dedicated to enhancing media transparency and accountability, led by Warren Center affiliate Duncan Watts.

• Communication
• Computer and Information Science
• Operations Information and Decisions

Kevin Werbach wins Aspen Institute award for legal studies course

Kevin Werbach was announced as one of eight recipients of the Aspen Institute's Ideas Worth Teaching Award for his course on "Big Data, Big Responsibilities: The Laws and Ethics of Business Analytics." The award recognizes courses that highlight important emerging ideas about the role of business in creating an inclusive environment.

• Legal Studies & Business Ethics

Should U.S. Companies Stop Relying on China?

Although well past the initial shock wave of the pandemic, industries across the spectrum are still grappling with ripple effects that threaten to sink profitability. Gad Allon spoke with Wharton Business Daily about why businesses need to rethink their reliance on China as a supplier.

• Operations Information and Decisions