Increasing use of computers and networks in business, government, recreation,
and almost all aspects of daily life has led to a proliferation of online sensitive
data, i.e., data that, if used improperly, can harm the data subjects. As a
result, concern about the ownership, control, privacy, and accuracy of these
data has become a top priority. This project focuses on both the technical challenges
of handling sensitive data and the policy and legal issues facing data subjects,
data owners, and data users.
The PORTIA goals are (1) to design and develop a next generation of technology for handling sensitive information that is qualitatively better than the current generation's and (2) to create an effective conceptual framework for policy making and philosophical inquiry into the rights and responsibilities of data subjects, data owners, and data users.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, under the Information Technology Research Program
The PORTIA project began in Oct 2003 and ended in Sept 2010.