Alessandro Acquisti

Alessandro Acquisti is the Trustees Professor of Information Technology and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. He serves as the Director of the Privacy Economics Experiments (PeeX) Lab, Chair of CMU Institutional Review Board (IRB), and Faculty Chair of the Master of Science in Information Security Policy & Management program. He is also the co-director of the CMU Center for Behavioral and Decision Research (CBDR) and a member of Carnegie Mellon CyLab and the CyLab Usability, Privacy, and Security (CUPS) lab.

Acquisti's research focuses on the economics and behavioral economics of privacy in a digital society. His work combines economic theory, behavioral research, and data analysis to investigate how individuals value privacy, how they make privacy-related decisions, and how privacy policies affect markets and society. His studies have promoted the revival of the economics of privacy, advanced the application of behavioral economics to consumer privacy valuations, and spearheaded the investigation of privacy and disclosures in social media.

His recent publications examine the impact of privacy regulations like GDPR on content providers, the economics of behavioral advertising, privacy-preserving analytics, and the effectiveness of privacy nudges. These works span multiple disciplines including economics, computer science, information systems, and public policy, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his research.

• PET Award for Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies
• IBM Best Academic Privacy Faculty Award
• IEEE Cybersecurity Award for Innovation
• Heinz College School of Information Teaching Excellence Award
• Andrew Carnegie Fellow (inaugural class)

Acquisti has testified before U.S. Senate and House committees and consulted with numerous government agencies including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Federal Trade Commission, and the European Commission. His research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Sloan Foundation, DARPA, Department of Homeland Security, and technology companies including Microsoft and Google. He has directed significant research initiatives including the CMU Digital Transformation and Innovation Center sponsored by PwC.

Acquisti leads the PeeX Lab which conducts experimental research on privacy economics and is a key member of CMU's cybersecurity research ecosystem through his involvement with CyLab and the Center for Behavioral and Decision Research. His work bridges academic research with practical policy implications through his service on national committees including the National Academies' Committee on public response to alerts and warnings using social media.