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Academic Surveillance and the Big Data Economy Program

Welcome

May 3rd 9:30-9:35am

  • Madeline Mundt, Head, Research Commons, UW Libraries

Keynote Talk: Your journals are spying on you: What platform surveillance means for us

May 3rd 9:35-10:15am

  • Sarah Lamdan, Professor of Law at City University of New York

The companies that comprise our academic research infrastructure aren’t publishers, they’re data analytics companies. Some of them, including RELX (Reed Elsevier + LexisNexis) are also data brokers to insurance companies, landlord and employment screening services, social services agencies, law enforcement, and even ICE. In her talk, Professor Lamdan will describe how traditional academic publishers have pivoted to data analytics, and how the switch from publishing to big data services decreases privacy, limits access to information, and entrenches bias into research and academic work.

Panel

May 3rd 10:15-11:00am

  • Sarah Lamdan, Professor of Law at City University of New York
  • Lukas Illa, UW Student Activist
  • Peyton Jacobsen, Seattle University Graduate Law Student
  • Carla Wale, Interim Associate Dean of Gallagher Law Library & Information Systems

Following our keynote, join us for conversation on the keynote with privacy advocates.

Break

11:00-11:15am

“Like Lesbians Walking the Perimeter”: Experiences of U.S. LGBTQ+ Folks With Online Security, Safety, and Privacy Advice

May 3rd 11:15am-12:15pm

LGBTQ+ folks may experience specific threats given stigma around being gay or transgender, whether that is workplace backlash, harassment on social media, or unsolicited messages with online dating. Given these threats, it is important to understand where queer individuals turn to for advice on digital security, safety, and privacy, and if they have experienced barriers with this advice. This session will present results from interviews with 14 queer participants diverse across race, age, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. The session concludes with a discussion of the necessity of emotional support and communal responses to digital harms, as well as provide examples of guides for dealing with online harassment.