Please see below for details of a June workshop in Amsterdam and a Call
For Papers; apologies for the inevitable cross-posting. Please send
abstracts to Mara Wesseling ([log in to unmask]) by March 1st. You can
find some information about the Data Wars project at http://www.datawars.org
*European Datawars: Fighting Terrorism through Data*
/University of Amsterdam, 11-12 June 2009/
Confirmed participants: Louise Amoore (Durham University); Kirstie Ball
(Open University); Debbie Lisle (Queen’s University Belfast); Luis
Lobo-Guerrero (Keele University); Beate Roessler (University of
Amsterdam); Marieke de Goede (University of Amsterdam)
After 9/11, many European states adopted a so-called “intelligence-led
approach” to combating terrorism. This approach stresses proactive and
sometimes massive information gathering and data exchange in order to
prevent and preempt terrorist attacks. Two important characteristics of
this approach are: increased cooperation with private authorities to
obtain a wide range of information and a strong belief that terrorism
can be prevented through smart technologies. These technologies, often
initially designed for commercial purposes, allow law enforcement and
intelligence agencies to ‘connect the dots’ through profiling, data
mining, social network analysis, risk analysis and other predictive
technologies.
This workshop explores questions relating to the implications for
ethics, responsibility and political decision of the new data-led
approach to fighting terrorism in Europe. Critics have highlighted the
impact of counter terrorism policy on principles of liberal governance
such as respect for human rights, rule of law, individual freedom and
democratic rule. Furthermore, important theoretical issues can be raised
in this context, for example with regard to public-private security
cooperation, the constitution of ‘Europe’ through these practices; the
relation between sovereignty and governmentality and the politics of
risk and preemption in the war on terror. A continued debate is needed,
on the one hand to better understand the practices in the
intelligence-led fight against terrorism, and on the other hand to
identify the possibilities, limits and consequences of the fight against
terrorism through data.
We welcome paper proposals from researchers across the social sciences
and the humanities that reflect on both the theoretical implications and
the practical manifestations of European datawars. Possible themes are:
· Ethics, responsibility and justice in European datawars
· Privacy, security and human rights
· Risk, prevention, preemption
· Datawars and surveillance
· Private authorities, states and the European Union
· Constituting Europe through datawars
Abstracts of 200-300 words should be sent to Mara Wesseling, University
of Amsterdam ([log in to unmask]) by March 1. We will select
contributions by March 20. Paper drafts should be submitted by May 15
2009. Work in progress is welcome.
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