Breaking the digital baton: counter-power in the age of high-tech policing

The current narrative on police abuse of technology has focused on issues of bias, “bad apples,” and legality. Our aim is to shift this narrative and highlight the systemic abuse of power by police across boundaries of legality, which has been exacerbated by technology. Focused on device and online surveillance, we will discuss how such surveillance technology enables police power across India, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

This panel primarily features members of No Tech For Tyrants, a student-led organisation focused on dismantling violent technology used by police and the state. Collectively, we bring experiences advocating for migrant rights, racial justice, and constitutional freedoms within our respective domains. The session will also be interactive and include opportunities for participants to share their experiences with technology-augmented policing.

During the panel, we will share insights from No Tech For Tyrant’s written report and participatory workshop project on police abuse of surveillance technology. To inform the discussion, we will introduce case studies examined in this project such as police in India accessing platform data to target activists. Additionally, panelists will speak to how surveillance augmented by data from mobile devices and online platforms is happening within a legal vacuum.

Through engagement among panelists and participants, we will explore solutions, collectively brainstorming ways to resist and reign in police powers in the age of surveillance technology. We will use a live shareable document that participants can contribute to during and after the panel, from which No Tech For Tyrants will produce and publish a manifesto for advocacy organizations.