Peter Swire

Peter Swire is the J.Z. Liang Chair in the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy at the Georgia Tech College of Computing, and Professor of Law and Ethics in the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds an appointment by courtesy with the School of Public Policy. In addition to his academic roles, Swire serves as Senior Counsel with Alston & Bird, LLP in the Privacy & Data Security Practice, and as Research Director of the Cross-Border Data Forum which he founded in 2018.

Swire has been a leading privacy and cyberlaw scholar, government leader, and practitioner since the rise of the Internet in the 1990s. His research focuses on privacy, cybersecurity, data protection, and law of cyberspace, with particular expertise in cross-border data flows and the risks to cybersecurity from data localization. His work on the Cross-Border Requests for Data Project directly influenced the development of the U.S. CLOUD Act enacted in 2018.

Swire's research has significant policy impact, having served in high-level government positions including as Chief Counselor for Privacy under President Clinton (the first person to have U.S. government-wide responsibility for privacy policy) and as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy under President Obama. He also served as one of five members of President Obama's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, and was co-chair of the global Do Not Track process for the World Wide Web Consortium.

Swire has received notable recognition for his work:

• 2018 Andrew Carnegie Fellow to study "Protecting Human Rights and National Security in the New Era of Data Nationalism"
• 2015 Privacy Leadership Award from the International Association of Privacy Professionals

As an educator, Swire teaches "Privacy Technology, Policy, and Law" (with Prof. Antón) and "Information Security Strategies and Policy." He published a framework in 2018 for teaching the non-code aspects of cybersecurity. His research has been supported by significant grants including the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship which provided $200,000 in research funding.

Swire leads the Cross-Border Data Forum, which builds on the successful Georgia Tech "Cross-Border Requests for Data Project." The Forum has produced influential research on data localization and cybersecurity, mutual legal assistance, and international data flows. His work often bridges academic research, government policy, and private sector practice.