Location
Join moderator Dr. Ron Deibert for an insightful and lively discussion into some of the most pressing social issues surrounding our rights and freedoms as cyber-surveillance becomes an ubiquitous part of our lives, on-line and off.
Digitally mediated surveillance is an increasingly prevalent, but still largely invisible, aspect of everyday life. As we work, play and negotiate public spaces, on-line and off, we produce a growing stream of personal digital data of interest to unseen others. CCTV cameras hosted by private and public actors survey and record our movements in public space, as well as in the workplace. Corporate interests track our behaviour as we navigate both social and transactional cyberspaces, data mining our digital doubles and packaging users as commodities for sale to the highest bidder. Governments continue to collect personal information on-line with unclear guidelines for retention and use, while law enforcement increasingly use internet technology to monitor not only criminals but activists and political dissidents as well, with worrisome implications for democracy.
Panelists will address the practical outcomes of theses issues, including pending policy matters such as lawful access legislation, the proposed Canada-US security perimeter and the security legacy of mega-events like the G20. They will address the tension between the clamour for security and the sanctity of civil liberties, questioning the benefits of trading one for the other.
Jacob Appelbaum is an independent computer security researcher and a core member of the Tor project. He is s co-founder of the San Francisco hackerspace Noisebridge and became controversial after representing Wikileaks at the 2010 HOPE hacker conference.
Lisa Austin is an Associate Professor in U of T's Faculty of Law and an expert in privacy law, focusing on challenges to privacy rights and interests presented by state information-sharing practices.
Ron Deibert is a leading cyber-security researcher at U of T's Citizen lab who received international renown by helping uncover a global cyber-espionage network.
David Lyon is a pioneer in surveillance studies based at Queen's University, where he is director of the Surveillance Studies Centre.
Christopher Prince is a legal and policy analyst with the Office of hte Privacy Commissioner of Canada, focusing on national security programs and governance.
Micheal Vonn is a lawyer and Policy Director for the BC Civil Liberties Association.
(Un)Lawful Access: Cyber-surveillance, Security and Civil Liberties is part of Cyber-surveillance in Everyday Life: An International Workshop. The event and the workshop are part The New Transparency: Surveillance and Social Sorting, a research project funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council.
Information: visit www.digitallymediatedsurveillance.ca
