We, the Data Book Launch

As we go about our lives, we are co-creating data through what we do. And while our data-intensive world is here to stay, does it come at the cost of our humanity in terms of autonomy, community, dignity, and equality? Wendy H. Wong’s new book, We, The Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023) calls for an extension of human rights as current policies do not reflect our experiences in the era of datafication. Join Wong for an in-person event exploring the insights in her book.

 

 

On October 20, 2023, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy co-presented Wong, professor of political science at UBC Okanagan and SRI faculty affiliate, in conversation with Anna Su, associate professor of law at the University of Toronto and SRI research lead, about the insights in Wong’s book. The conversation was followed by an audience Q&A and reception.

 

 

A rallying call for extending human rights beyond our physical selves, We, The Data makes the case that we are all stakeholders in holding data collectors accountable–more than mere subjects or sources of data by-products that can be harvested and used by technology companies and governments. We, The Data was written with the support of SRI during Wong’s time as one of the Institute’s inaugural research leads. It has been featured in Most Anticipated: 2023 Fall Nonfiction Preview (49th Shelf) and October 2023’s Must-Read Books (Next Big Ideas Club).