Privacy, new technologies and turning the tables on the state


In this talk I gave at TEDXEastEnd Salon on December 10th, 2015, I explore how my understanding of anonymity and privacy was formed during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980’s and how since that time our sense of privacy has been manipulated by our use of new technologies. I also look at how technology can be used to turn the tables on the state to surveil them and hold them accountable.

Projects and organisations mentioned

  • What we’ve learned from sex workers – Project conducted by Tactical Tech working with sex worker collectives in Kolkata (DMSC) and Phnom Penh (WNU) to document police violence in their communities.
  • Women Against Violence – Project conducted by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network to expose police violence against women who use drugs.
  • Rudiment – project using new and emergent technologies to help human rights investigators and journalists obtain, sift and analyse information.
  • International Budget Partnership – collaborates with civil society around the world to use budget analysis and advocacy as a tool to improve effective governance and reduce poverty.
  • FairPlay Alliance – works to provide data to investigative journalists and citizens to hold the government accountable
  • Privacy International – investigates the secret world of government surveillance and expose the companies enabling it, litigates to ensure that surveillance is consistent with the rule of law, and advocates for strong national, regional, and international laws that protect privacy.
  • Electronic Frontier Foundation –  works to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows.

References