2026 Bonzani Lecture:
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Law and Privacy in the AI Age
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Presented by: John Verdi ’98, Senior Director for Privacy &
AI Legal at PayPal. -
November 10th, 2026 | 4:30p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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President’s Reception Room, Anderson Center - Binghamton University
*Join us for dinner and discussion followed by a Q&A session.
About the Lecture:
There are novel, urgent questions at the intersection of artificial intelligence, privacy laws, and governance. Join John Verdi ’98 (Sr. Director, PayPal Legal) for a lecture and discussion about how individuals, companies, and the government are trying to answer them, plus some speculation about what might be on the horizon for the laws and norms that govern algorithmic decisions.
About the Speaker:
Previously, John supervised the Future of Privacy Forum’s policy portfolio covering artificial intelligence, algorithmic decision-making, ethics, connected cars, data-driven health, wearable tech, de-identification, and social media. His extensive background in privacy policy also includes serving as Director of Privacy Initiatives at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)—where he crafted tech, trust, and innovation recommendations for the U.S. Department of Commerce and President Obama—and leading NTIA’s multistakeholder process to establish best practices for commercial drones, facial recognition, and mobile apps. Earlier in his career, he served as General Counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), overseeing their litigation program. John holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from SUNY Binghamton.
Past Lectures:
- 2025 - From Pipe Dream to NBA power player
- 2024 - "Criminalization & Survival" (Kate Mogulescu ’99)
- 2023 - Bonzani Lecture brings online abuse advocate to campus
- 2022 - Bonzani Lecture focused on Taking down NXIVM
- 2021 - Bonzani Lecture focused on disparities in healthcare
- 2020 - Bonzani Lecture focused on duty to disclose by Michael Zeldin
- 2019 - Bonzani Lecture discussed refugee protection challenges
- 2018 - Bonzani Lecture focused on professional persona
The John and Lawrence Bonzani Memorial Law Lecture is held in the fall semester and highlights a topic of interest related to the law. Prior lecturers have been Harpur College alumni who shared expertise in their field while engaging students interested in legal careers.