In this discussion session, participants will explore how COVID-19 contact tracing technologies may surveil and suppress political activity and dissent around the globe. This session welcomes activists, advocates, technologists, researchers, and policymakers who are engaged with diverse movements and are fighting for a more just digital world. Participants will identify the challenges and risks that the pervasive deployment of COVID-19 contact tracing technologies and related surveillance mechanisms may pose to activists, dissidents, and social movement participants. How are individual actors and social movement organizations responding to the potential and actual misuse of such technologies? The facilitators will bring case studies from across the world to inform the conversation. Participants will build a shared understanding of the current social, technological, and regulatory landscape; compare their experiences and perspectives; and begin to build toward a collective vision for addressing these challenges.
In this session, we (the facilitators) will continue the research and advocacy process we have been involved in prior to MozFest, as part of Stanford's Digital Assembly Research Network and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. After MozFest, we will share our findings from the session in these existing networks, and in so doing, continue the discussion we started at Mozfest with a larger audience. We will also compile resources and ideas that come up during the session and share them with the session participants after Mozfest. We hope to bring together and grow the network of activists, researchers, and other stakeholders who are interested in issues at the intersection of digital activism and surveillance.
How will you deal with varying numbers of participants in your session?:In order to address varying numbers of participants in this session, the facilitators will design a combination of small group and large group activities. The facilitators will bring case studies from across the world to initiate the conversation. Depending on the number of participants, we will have virtual breakout rooms to discuss the case studies. Participants will have the opportunity to share their perspectives based on their experiences from their community/region/country. After the breakout room activity, participants will regroup for further discussion. We will also set up collaborative documents where participants can collectively brainstorm, take notes, and share their contacts. For a smaller turnout, we will not need the separate breakout rooms. The facilitators will run the discussion as a whole group activity.
Dr. Ashley Lee is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University.