Trump supporters’ storming of the Capitol, as Trump refused to concede his loss in the 2020 presidential election, underscored the significant challenges confronting U.S. democracy. The presence of armed, violent vigilante groups roaming city streets, state capitals and university campuses, with the president’s blessing, affects every American, including and beyond those who are directly targeted […]
The recent decision by Big Tech to ban prominent politicians, including President Donald Trump, and enforce strict content moderation against hate speech, mis/disinformation, and violence is a new precedent that could prove consequential for the future of online speech—and for the future of democracy. Join Belfer Center’s Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project as it […]
After a mob stormed the Capitol, major technology platforms acted nearly in unison – some said belatedly, others tyrannically – to “deplatform” President Trump and many other right-wing users of their services. How did we arrive at this unprecedented action, what’s at stake for our democracy, and what does this mean for the future? On […]
Social media and digital technologies have come under fire for their contribution to the development of the groups that ultimately stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Following the insurrection attempt, Facebook, Twitter, Google and other major platforms have banned or suspended President Trump’s accounts. Google and Apple removed Parler from their app stores, while […]
Join us for a discussion on how ethnographic theory and ethnographic practice are incorporated in civic technology projects in the US. A small panel will discuss the ways that qualitative research, political power and technology meet in government internet projects. Dr Andrew Schrock, OII alum and author of “Civic Tech: Making Technology Work for People”, […]
Innovation and technological advancements are continuous, evolving products of knowledge consolidation, human ingenuity, and adaptive capacity. New forms of communication, banking, farming, and transportation technology have transformed the physical and social landscape of a rapidly globalizing world. Innovation often emerges in the face of a challenge, when the status quo fails to adequately meet the […]
Computers, Privacy and Data Protection 2021 – Enforcing Rights in a Changing World
The Coronavirus pandemic is on the verge of a turning point, as the rollout of vaccination programs worldwide brings hope that the disease may finally start to recede. However, public confidence in vaccine programmes cannot be taken for granted: and in many countries the number of people willing to take a vaccine is lower than […]
Dr. Apryl A. Williams and Dr. Allissa V. Richardson address the long-standing history of White vigilante-style surveillance of Black people in public spaces, exploring the role of White women in extending the power of the state to surveil and regulate the movement of Black people in public – tying in Karen actors with historical examples such as Emmitt […]
Esteemed faculty from five disciplines at Penn will come together to unpack the myriad policies, messages, and conditions that led to the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, as well as explore how we move forward as a country. This 90-minute panel discussion — moderated by Dean Erika James of the Wharton School with a […]