Digital Liberation News - July 2022
Welcome to the second issue of Digital Liberation News!
This newsletter aims to keep you informed and engaged in the discussion surrounding the surveillance of students in schools.
Schools are investing in technology that violates student privacy. This digital injustice causes severe harm in immediate and long-term ways that are still being revealed. We seek solutions that center young people, families, educators, and the community. We believe decisions about technology and safety should be informed by those most impacted. Technology should be a tool for school safety, not the answer.
Pizza & Paint happening July 30th
Our first in-person event is just one week away! Join us on Saturday, July 30th at 4:30pm at Minnehaha Park for pizza, painting, and engaged discussion about Digital Liberation. Please RSVP at this link if you have not already. Click here for the exact location. We can't wait to see you there!
Marika was published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review
One of the amazing members of our leadership team, Marika Pfefferkorn, co-wrote an article that was just published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review last week! The article, titled "Co-Powering an Emergent Horizon," dives in to how the public is not a monolith, but rather an interdependent ecosystem of communities who must determine the tools for a more caring future. Part of this ecosystem is the technology we use, and the article addresses how tech is never neutral and has great capacity for harm. Click here to read more!
Minneapolis Public Schools Suspends Gaggle - But the Surveillance Continues
by Dr. Ceema Samimi
Despite MPS' recent decision to suspend their contact with the invasive student monitoring company Gaggle, students continue to suffer the impacts of algorithmic discrimination and digital oppression. MPS stated in late June that the decision was financial, scapegoating educators' hard-won new contract. The district also encouraged families to call the police over bullying and other safety concerns, a major step backwards in the decriminalization of education.
The Digital Justice Ideathon
Just a reminder that on September 24th and 25th, 2022, we will be hosting the first ever Digital Justice Ideathon at the Science Museum of Minnesota! By bringing together people from several communities of stakeholders, we hope to engage in discussion, develop solutions, and foster disruption of the systems causing harm to our students. You can sign up to participate on our website via the QR code below!
Meet one of the fellows!
Hanwen (Kumo) Zhang (she/her/hers)
I’m a senior student at the University of Minnesota. My major is Statistics, and my minor is Computer Science. I’d like to use statistical knowledge and logistical thinking to solve problems about the youth and children. I’m a volunteer at BBBS (Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America), doing art activities with pre-school kids. In my spare time, I like photography. I’m excited to join the ideathon project!
Meet one of the judges!
David Valentine (he/him/his)
Born in Burnaby, British Columbia and raised in the Pacific Northwest, David Valentine is a writer, woodcarver, musician, and conversationalist who specializes in internal culture change and community engagement at the Science Museum of Minnesota, though he has worked with various museums and cultural institutions. Having moved to Minneapolis in 2020, his current focus is on power sharing, dialogue, and collaboration with communities, seeking to subvert white supremacist culture in the organizations he works for and create fertile ground for genuine relationships to grow from. He is also currently a Community Science Dialogue and Deliberation Fellow for the Association of Science and Technology Centers. David has founded, chaired, and been a member for various committees for inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, including the Seattle Cultural Accessibility Consortium, the Seattle Center Racial Equity Cohort, and MASS Action’s Anti-Racism Community of Practice. He has also founded, participated in, or volunteered for cooperative screenwriting groups, musical collaborations, and community organizations. He utilizes his practices to focus on shifting personal perspectives and behaviors, balancing his focus between the self and the community. His work revolves around addressing or recovering from racial disparities and injustices in our society, is constantly informed by community needs and values, and is in continuous development.
What we're reading
What is the Panopticon?: The Ethics Center
This article dives into the Panopticon, a disciplinary concept brought to life in the form of a central observation tower placed within a circle of prison cells, and how it is related to surveillance tech today.
4 Things Sex Workers Can Teach Us About Digital Surveillance
This article from Rewire News Group discusses digital evidence and how it will continue to be used to prosecute abortion and miscarriages through use of emails, location tracking, and more. Sex workers have been fighting for digital rights for many years, and we have much to learn from their activism as digital surveillance continues to infringe upon our privacy.
Thanks for reading Digital Liberation News!
For more information about the Ideathon and other related resources, be sure to check out our website!
Digital Liberation News is a part of a collaboration between the Anti-Racist Research in Youth Studies lab (ARRYS) and the Twin Cities Innovation Alliance (TCIA).