Conference website: https://pets4hse.org

Workshop on Privacy Enhancing Technologies for the Homeland Security EnterpriseJune 21, 2022 • Washington, DC

Call for White Papers and Participation

Background

Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) under development promise the ability to control the sharing and use of sensitive information while minimizing the risk of unauthorized use. These technologies have been under development by researchers for nearly four decades but have been slow to migrate from the research lab into operational use.  This workshop will help to speed the pace of change by engaging researchers and practitioners in a joint endeavor to solve the “hard problems” that will enable us to solve the practical problems so we can put new technologies into practice while still keeping risk levels low.

This workshop will feature:

• Specific security problems that could be solved with PETs, as presented by principals in the Homeland Security Enterprise (including program managers at the Department of Homeland Security and officials in state, local and tribal security agencies).
• Researchers who have been working on a range of PETs, including secure multiparty computation, private set intersection, secure anonymous recording linking, differential privacy, and other methods for privacy preserving data sharing and analysis.
• Discussions of funding opportunities for transitioning research to pilot programs and operational capacities within the Homeland Security Enterprise.

This workshop will combine presentations and discussions, with a heavy emphasis on finding specific approaches (and new approaches) that solve specific problems within the next three to five years.

White Paper Submission

We are soliciting 2-page white papers from researchers that describe PETs that are ready or nearly ready to deploy, or that have been used in other application areas. We are specifically looking for white papers regarding PETs that would allow:

• Privacy-preserving sharing and analysis of images and video, such as from surveillance cameras or body camera.
• Privacy-preserving construction and application of watch lists based on multiple data sources,
• Privacy-preserving analysis of social media.
• Privacy-preserving techniques for creating, maintaining and linking anonymous identities and profiles.
• Multiparty and homomorphic computation to allow for analysis of datasets held by multiple parties without the need to physically combine datasets.
• Other PETs that would address specific operational needs that could be solved with data sharing or analysis that is currently blocked because of concerns about ownership, access, overcollection, or risk associated with the use of operational data.

We have problems that need to be solved today, and are looking for engaged researchers who want to help.

While this workshop is focused on novel solutions to today’s problems, we are also eager to hear from researchers who have innovative ideas that they feel would benefit from special attention now, even if there are no specific pragmatic uses in the near-term. This event is not about theory, it’s about practice. However, some ideas are so novel or important that they require attention now, before there is a problem. Researchers are encouraged to submit ideas that would benefit from discussion with Homeland Security stakeholders: please flag your idea as a discussion topic and it will be reviewed as such. Please indicate if you would like to have the idea included in the conference materials if it is not selected for discussion.

Topics that are out-of-scope for the workshop include research agendas with more than a five-year horizon, quantum information science and blockchain technology.

Submissions will be evaluated based on the near-to-long term pragmatic and pressing nature of the problem described and the and simple-to-complex solutions proposed to solve those problems.  Priority will be given to solving near-term pragmatic problems using simple solutions.  These will be labeled “quick wins”.  Second place priority will be given to problems that can only be solved by complex solutions that require protracted focus and perseverance.  These will be labeled “hard problems.” The conference will be designed based on the nature of the submissions received.  We encourage individuals and groups to submit multiple white papers so we can arrange a useful conference that offers solutions in both categories.

Selected contributors will have the opportunity to participate in the workshop currently planned as an in-person event June 21st, 2022, or to submit pre-recorded video presentations. 

Paper Length and Format: Up to 2 pages (references included), at least 11-point font PDF file. Note: papers will be distributed in print at the workshop and published on the workshop website; PDFs may include links to other resources on the Internet. 

Workshop products will include a publicly available written report that includes the problem statements, white papers, and a summary of the workshop discussions and a video archive of selected presentations.

To submit for this workshop, please visit: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=pets4hse

Due Date: 11:59 PM ET on May 1, 2022

Notification of Selection: May 20, 2022

Workshop Date: June 21, 2022

Location: 1800 I St NW, Washington, DC 20006

Note: A limited amount of funding is available to cover the travel expenses of workshop participants attending from accredited public and private institutions of higher education in the United States and non-profit research institutions.

This event is hosted by the Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence led by Arizona State University, in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security Privacy Office.

This material is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number, 17STQAC00001-03-03.

Disclaimer. The views and conclusions contained in this document do not represent the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.