The Office of the UCLA Chief Privacy Officer is always looking for ways to make privacy more palatable. So when Kelly Arruda saw the privacy documentary film Terms and Conditions May Apply earlier this year, she set out to get it screened on campus. “I felt it was a creative way of opening up the discussion about some very relevant data privacy issues.”
Terms and Conditions May Apply is a documentary that examines the cost of so-called ‘free’ services and the continuing disappearance of online privacy. The film details what is actually behind those long, dense user contracts that most users blindly agree to when clicking the little “I Agree” button, what information is being retained and shared, and the loss of user privacy rights. Using clips from popular movies and tv shows, Terms and Conditions May Apply makes the heavy topic much more understandable and relatable.
Kelly quickly tracked down the film distributor and started working out the details of getting a screening license for the campus. Once acquired, she set out to find appropriate venues for showcasing the film. It seemed a perfect fit for the Hammer Museum’s programming, so Kelly approached the museum about a potential partnership. As a result, the film will be featured as part of the museum’s upcoming Hammer Screenings.
The co-presentation of the film at the Hammer Museum on January 30th will launch Data Privacy Month, which runs from January 28 – February 28. Following the screening at the museum’s Billy Wilder Theater, there will be a discussion with the film’s director, Cullen Hoback, and Rainey Reitman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who is interviewed in the film.Kelly is working on additional screening events and panel discussions to be held throughout Data Privacy Month. And a streaming version of the film will be made available soon.
This will allow for ongoing access to the film.
“I am thrilled to have the film here at UCLA. It provides another communication vehicle to help drive awareness of privacy issues.”