Vulnerable Populations

Readings

• Allie Funk, “Apple’s AirTag offers convenience but poses serious threats — and it’s not alone”, 2021.
• (Skim) Sam Biddle, “Police Surveilled George Floyd Protests with the Help from Twitter-affiliated Startup Dataminr”, 2020.
• Sara Morrison and Adam Clark Estes, “How protesters are turning the tables on police surveillance”, 2020.
• (Watch) Tom Simonite, “CryptoHarlem’s Founder Warns Against ‘Digital Stop and Frisk’”, 2020.
• Joseph Cox, “I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone”, 2019.
• (Skim) William R. Marczak et al., “When Governments Hack Opponents: A Look at Actors and Technology”, 2014.

Reading Responses

In 200 words or less, please describe:

1. the groups of people at elevated risk of being surveilled (identify at least three such groups),
2. the consequences of such surveillance for each of the group, and
3. what solutions (if any) are available to prevent or to mitigate the consequences of such surveillance for each of the group.

In writing your response, please refer to the assigned readings for this week.

Discussion Questions

1. Recall the article describing the ways in which Apple’s AirTags can be abused. Which safeguards has Apple implemented to prevent such abuses? Do you believe those safeguards are sufficient to prevent the abuse of AirTags or not?
2. What are the implications of the increasing capabilities of the public to conduct surveillance (e.g. using their smartphones) on other actors, such as the law enforcement, and on each other?
3. The readings discuss the disproportionate impact of tech-enabled surveillance on marginalized communities. In your opinion, which groups or actors (if any) benefit (directly or indirectly) from the excessive surveillance of vulnerable groups?

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