'Controversies in the Data Society' Seminar Programme Announced for Spring 2020
The line-up for the current semester’s Controversies in the Data Society seminar series, taking place weekly on Friday afternoons, has been announced. This series of talks is being hosted jointly by the Edinburgh Futures Institute and Science Technology and Innovation Studies.
The seminar talks will provide insights from leading researchers across the University of Edinburgh on topics relating to big data, AI, and data science, such as regulation for AI innovation, human factors in cybersecurity and cybercrime, and potential for deep fakes from voiceprint technology.
The first seminar will take place on Friday 17 January, featuring Professor Charles Raab and Michelle Spektor presenting on the topic of Biometrics and Policy.
Charles Raab will highlight episodes in UK identity policy involving biometrics, based in part on his experience of involvement in advising government. He will highlight uncertainties about biometrics in the context of policy and policy-making, and about the implementation of plans for identification systems.
Michelle Spektor is currently a visiting scholar in her fifth year of study at MIT, examining the history and social dimensions of national biometric identification systems in Israel and the UK. In comparing Bristish and Israeli contexts, Michelle’s research considers the role of national context in opposition to surveillance and the ways publics participate in surveillance policymaking. More about this seminar.