(via Evelyn Cunico, information and management consultant)
Beyond the digital divide is the “division of learning”, a term coined by Shoshana Zuboff in her 2019 book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, to describe the rift between today’s data-hungry tech giants and the people using these platforms who are kept unaware of how their personal information is being handled, repackaged, and sold. At risk is the destruction of privacy as we know it, as the profiteers in the surveillance economy seek to render all human experience into tools for predicting–and manipulating–behavior. What can librarians do to help bridge the division of learning, both through the creation of new literacies and by following the long-standing privacy ethics of their own profession?
This 90-minute presentation will answer those questions and take a look at the insidious threats surveillance capitalism poses to our patrons, such as in the LinkedIn for Libraries situation, the use of third-party trackers on library websites, and publishers trying to staunch subscription losses by collecting and selling user data. The presenters will also talk about how some of these technologies are currently being used during COVID-19/protests and provide recommended resources for creating discussion and workshops with your patrons on these issues, and connect you with communities of practice that are empowering library workers to make a difference through democracy.
Learning Outcomes
Learning objectives for this program include:
- Understand the impacts of commercial and state surveillance on library patrons, intellectual freedom, and civil liberties, and be empowered to express concerns to community members, library leaders, and other stakeholders
- Discover strategies and resources for library programming (i.e., discuss ion groups and workshops) as well as professional groups that can support patron education and help bridge the division of learning
- Create a foundational knowledge of how and why this technology was monetized and how it has become an insidious part of our daily lives
Who Should Attend
Any librarian and administrator interested in learning new technology privacy ethics of the profession.
To register for the event and learn more, including costs, please go here.