The Georgetown Law Technology Review (GLTR) hosted its biennial Symposium on Friday, January 30th. The day-long event brought together scholars, practitioners, and advocates for a series of panels and a keynote discussion centered on this year’s theme, Data, Power, and Authoritarianism.

Data, Power, and Authoritarianism explored how digital technologies, data-driven systems, and platform economies shape political and social life in the United States and beyond. Through conversations on data governance, labor, surveillance, and the public sphere, participants examined how power is concentrated in digital systems and what legal, policy, and organizing strategies might help build more accountable and democratic technological infrastructures.

The Symposium was organized by Laythan Oweis, the Senior Symposium Editor of Georgetown Law Technology Review. Laythan’s vision, dedication, and passion for privacy law has made this Symposium possible, with the assistance of Charlotte Kim, the Editor-in-Chief, and GLTR’s faculty advisors—Mary Pat Dwyer, Julie Cohen, and Paul Ohm. We are also deeply grateful to Emily Tucker, the Executive Director of the Center on Privacy & Technology, whose incredible support and guidance were instrumental in the creation of this Symposium. Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to all our moderators and speakers, Symposium Editors, and the countless other individuals who have helped us.