Shows
SociotechsUnfair ID: Digital Identity from Injustice to ResistanceDigital identity, meaning the conversion of human identities into digital data, is often hailed as a route to benefits from the public and private sectors. At the same time, a different reality confronts this orthodoxy: vast empirical evidence exists on the harmful outcomes of digital identity, ranging from exclusion of entitled individuals from essential services to perilous forms of policing and profiling. In this episode, a crossover with IS Digest hosted by Casandra Grundstrom, Silvia Masiero turns from host to interviewee, discussing with Tejas and Casandra her newly launched book Unfair ID. The conversation opens up multiple ways to...2024-10-2642 min
Information Systems DIGEST PodcastUnfair ID – Guests Silvia Masiero and Tejas Kotha: A SocioTechs Crossover EpisodeHost Casandra Grundstrom is very happy to participate in a crossover episode with the wonderful people from the Sociotechs Podcast Associate Professor Silvia Masiero and PhD Researcher Tejas Kotha. This is a special episode which focuses on Silvia's brand new book (out 26.10.24) about Unfair ID. Sociotechs host Tejas and myself (the IS DIGEST host) interview Silvia on the 14 year's in the making of her book and the stories she shares to demonstrate the injustice of identity in different case settings including food security systems, biometric borders, and algorithmic social protection. We f...2024-10-2642 min
SociotechsVAR and the Illusion of Objectivity: Technology’s Struggle with Equivocal RealitiesThe recent Olympic Games and European Football Championship have highlighted once again the importance, and controversiality, of technologies associated with referee decisions. A Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, is tasked with assisting the referee concerning dubious situations in a sports game. While VAR has become part and parcel of the experience of multiple sports, including football, little is known about the complex sociotechnical fabric that plays out every single time a VAR decision is made. Today we are joined by Stan Karanasios and Bikesh Raj Upreti, respectively Associate Professor and Lecturer in the Department of Business Information Systems at the...2024-08-1648 min
SociotechsCyber Conflict and Data Violence in GazaThe ongoing war on Gaza, one of the deadliest military assaults in history, has been accompanied by extreme
applications of digital technologies to warfare. This feeds into the many layers of cybercontrol to which Palestine, a land under military and settler occupation, has long been subjected. Today we are joined by Fabio Cristiano to explore data violence in the ongoing Israeli assault, and the multiple implications it has in the space of human and digital rights.
Fabio Cristiano is Assistant Professor in Conflict Studies at Utrecht University. His research explores the making of
international conflict i...2024-07-3139 min
SociotechsTechno-Borderland: How Security Technologies Shape Border ManagementThe foundational elements of EU migration policies and security technologies started to take a turn in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, accelerating the research and use of traditional military and war technologies such as drones in civilian border management. In this episode, we explore the role of drones in border studies, the evolving landscape of EU border technologies in the wake of AI, and how these security problems and solutions are co-produced in the frameworks of migration policies with Bruno Oliveira Martins.
Bruno is a senior researcher at Peach Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), wh...2024-04-2548 min
SociotechsHealth Data Governance: Between Handling and Handing DataHealth data governance should ensure protection for individuals' health data against violations, while enabling the smooth functioning of healthcare systems. Doing so involves a complex set of stakeholders, opening multiple questions which directly affect the way our health data are collected, stored and managed. Today we sit with Dragana Paparova to unpack such questions, learning about issues and practices at the heart of health data governance.
Dragana Paparova is a postdoctoral researcher in Information Systems at the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo. Her research is centred on the production, sharing and usage of patient...2024-03-2850 min
SociotechsBeyond Digital Deception: Bots, Social Media and Generative AIThe narrative of digital deception pervades the discourse on generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), opening important questions on the validity and verifiability of the information we come across daily. In this landscape, generative AI is now being extensively used to create engaging bots on social media which poses several threats to the fabric of trust and safety we as users expect over the internet. Today we sit with Sippo Rossi to unpack the nature of such problems, how we as users of social media can remain vigilant and its implications on future research on this topic.
2024-03-0141 min
SociotechsHumanitarian Tech Unveiled: From Principles to Corporate CaptureHumanitarian aid has undergone significant transformations in recent years, driven in part by the increasing integration of technology and the growing influence of private partners. Such a development not just changes who the actors are also, the mindset and response these actors bring for such an important ecosystem. We sit with Giulio Coppi to understand the principles of humanitarian aid, how digital technologies have been employed and the increasing influence of private players.
Giulio Coppi is a senior humanitarian officer at Access Now. Access Now is an organization that defends and extends the digital rights of people a...2023-11-1555 min
SociotechsUnraveling Corporate Capture in SDGs: AI for Social Good in AfricaThe notion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for social good is being actively pushed as a route to involve private tech vendors in the pursuit of targets ascribing to the Sustainable Development Goals. With our guest Gianluca Iazzolino, we discuss the implications of the "AI for Social Good" (AI4SG) logic for intended providers and beneficiaries, with a focus on Africa. From biometric databases to large-scale monitoring infrastructures, the discussion unravels the problematic implications of the AI4SG discourse in the African context.
Gianluca Iazzolino is a Lecturer in Digital Development at the Global Development Institute, University of Man...2023-10-2046 min
SociotechsIn the Grip of Automation: Navigating the Skill Erosion Dilemma
At a time when machines undertake practices previously delegated to human expertise, questions of skill erosion become prominent. Our guests Esko Penttinen and Joona Ruissalo illuminate the intersections of automation and skill erosion, which denotes a situation of decline in people's ability to manage tasks with the same effectiveness as before. With rich empirics from the accounting sector, they share insights on how the "grip of automation" interacts with skill erosion, and on the meaning of this for the lived experience of workers in the sector.
Esko Penttinen is an Associate Professor of I...2023-10-0248 min
SociotechsData Curation: Charting a Path to Reusable DataData reuse is crucial to making existing datasets accessible across users, systems and organisations. As we discuss today with Elena Parmiggiani, many questions surround data reuse: how can data be managed, curated and prepared to achieve cross-contextual reusability? How does this affect social and political responsibility across countries, regions and sites of data production?
Elena Parmiggiani is Associate Professor in Digital Collaboration and Computer-Supported Collaborative Work, and Deputy Head of Department for Sustainability at the Department of Computer Science, NTNU, Norway. Her latest work focuses on data curation and management, a topic to which she brings empirical...2023-09-0156 min
SociotechsBehind the Label: Data Labeling Labours for AIIn this episode we discuss data labeling, the intensive work behind the scenes of AI, with Srravya Chandhiramowuli. Through Srravya's expertise, we explore the myth and realities of data labeling, focusing on the demands experienced by workers and on the many competing challenges experienced in meeting them. Our conversation continues by exploring the origins of such demands, delving into the interests of client firms and their impacts on the lives of workers.
Srravya is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design (HCID) Center at City, University of London. She examines th...2023-08-1557 min
SociotechsDecoding Data's Essence: An Ontological ViewIn this episode, we sit down with Aleksi Aaltonen to discuss his focus on data as semantic material and its implications for understanding technology in society. Delving into data ontology, we uncover its implications for the big data industry and how data simplification impacts its ability to capture reality. Aleksi introduces the concept of "data commodities," discussing their significance in today's landscape. Finally, we delve into data-induced harm in the information systems and our role as researchers to overcome it.
Aleksi Aaltonen is Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems at Fox Business School, Temple University. He uses...2023-08-0437 min
SociotechsBorder Externalization and Surveillance: Unraveling EU's Techno BordersWe delve into the world of border securitization and specifically, the involvement of AI in the EU's border externalization strategy. Our guest Antonella Napolitano sheds light on using surveillance technologies at the borders. From the concept of "border externalization" to the implications of the AI Act, we explore the consequences of outsourcing surveillance and the role of the EU as a funder. Join us as we discuss how these technologies shape migration policies and consider how researchers and activists could make an impact toward better outcomes. Finally, we explore ways to oppose the detrimental outcomes of surveillance technologies and...2023-08-0143 min
SociotechsIntroduction: Hello, World!Hi,
Welcome to the inaugural episode of "Sociotechs," we are Silvia and Tejas, the hosts of this brand-new podcast. As researchers with diverse interests, Silvia delves into data justice, digital identity, and the politics of sociotechnical artifacts, while Tejas explores digital behaviors and value creation amidst emerging technologies. Together, we seek to understand how technologies are designed and employed to participate in our world.
Why a podcast, you might ask? We believe that critical discussions around sociotechnical systems should be accessible to a broader audience. By featuring engaging conversations and diverse perspectives from academic, activist...2023-07-1317 min