The New Transparency is associated with the Surveillance Studies Centre.
CURRENT STUDENTS
Diane Dechief, University of Toronto
Patrick Derby, Queen’s University
Ariane Ellerbrok, University of Alberta
Antonio Gamba, University of Toronto
Stuart Hargreaves, University of Toronto
Iryna Matiyenko, University of Victoria
Brenda McPhail, University of Toronto
Adam Molnar, University of Victoria
Jeffrey Monaghan, Queen's University
Christopher Parsons, University of Victoria
Stephanie Perrin, University of Toronto
Sachil Singh, Queen's University
Harrison Smith, University of Toronto
Karen Louise Smith, University of Toronto
Ozgun Topak, Queen's University
Lauren Dimonte, University of Toronto
Jonathan Floyd, University of Toronto
Arndis Johnson, University of Toronto
Joseph Ferenbok, University of Toronto
Phil Boyle, University of Alberta
Martin French (completed February 2009)
Pablo Ouziel, University of Victoria (completed 2009)
Daniel Trottier (completed September 2010)
Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto
My primary research interests include experiences of immigration and settlement for people who migrate to Canada, particularly interactions with state-led programs and institutions, and uses of the technological systems employed by the state. With the support of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship (2007-2010) I am currently examining the causes and implications of immigration-influenced personal name changes in Canada. My MA thesis,"Recent Immigrants as an 'Alternate Civic Core': Providing Internet Services, Gaining Canadian Experiences" (2006) examined volunteerism amongst recent immigrants as a means of integration.
Department of Sociology, Queen’s University
Patrick Derby is currently a doctoral student at Queen’s University, and a student member of the Surveillance Project. He is also a member of the Surveillance Camera Awareness Network (SCAN). Patrick received his BA in Criminology (Honours) and Sociology (Concentration), as well as his MA in Criminology from the University of Ottawa. His MA thesis was entitled: “Interrogating the Selective Gaze of Canadian CCTV Operators: Perspectives From Behind the Camera’s Lens”. Patrick is currently interested in bringing the theoretical resources of Science and Technology Studies to bear on criminological understandings of contemporary crime control practices. He is currently monitoring the proliferation of video surveillance in taxis across Canada, as well as the use of licence plate recognition technologies in Canadian police cruisers.
University of Victoria
Adam Molnar is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria. His dissertation research focuses on surveillance, security and 'mega-events’, using the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games as an empirical case. His research examines, in particular, the
intersection between semiotic and political economic aspects of security and technology organizations. Other research interests include contemporary theories of social and political justice, media, politics & technology, and philosophy of science.
Queen's University
Jeffrey Monaghan is a PhD student in the Sociology Department at Queen's University and a student member of the New Transparency Project. Areas of research interest include policing and surveillance, (in)security processes, and the internationalization of surveillance and security 'best practices.' He completed an MA in the Law department at Carleton University, under the supervision of Dawn Moore. His thesis used archival materials to explore the 1880s surveillance and policing strategies of the North-West Mounted Police. He has published in journals such as Policing and Society, Alternatives, Social Movement Studies, and Upping the Anti.
University of Victoria
I am interested in how privacy (particularly informational privacy, expressive privacy and accessibility privacy) is affected by digitally mediated surveillance, and the normative implications this has in contemporary Western political systems. My research currently focuses on the technologies that enable digitally mediated surveillance, such as deep packet inspection, behavioral advertising, and radio frequency identification, and how these technologies influence citizens in their decision to openly express themselves or engage in self-censoring behavior. My current thoughts and thinking can be found at my website, where I regularly write about current and developing technologies and practices as they relate to surveillance and privacy. This fall I will be starting my coursework and duties as a research assistant for IRSP 2.
Department of Sociology, Queen’s University
Sachil Singh is a PhD candidate at Queen's University, under the supervision of Dr David Lyon. Sachil received his Bachelor, Honours and Masters Degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. For these Degrees, he majored in Economics, Internet Studies, Economic History and Development Studies. His Masters thesis (completed in 2008) is titled "The Political Economy of Africa's Cyberspace". His ongoing interest in the relationships between technology and society has manifested in his current doctoral work for which he is researching the social consequences of credit-assessment technologies in South Africa. Sachil has published on the post-apartheid South African 'information society', and has a forthcoming chapter (co-authored with David Lyon) on the social effects of Amazon.com's data processing. Sachil is the organiser of the Surveillance Studies Centre (SSC) Seminar Series , which is held bi-monthly. For a more detailed personal biography, please click here.
Email: sachil.singh[at]queensu.ca
Phone: 613-533-6000 ext. 75602
Ozgun E. Topak
Department of Sociology, Queen’s University
Ozgun Topak is a PhD student at Queen’s University. He received his previous degrees from Istanbul University (BA in Business Administration) and Middle East Technical University (MA in Sociology) in Turkey. He is broadly interested in how new surveillance mechanisms (e.g. e-government, electronic ID cards, databases) are tied to a complex set of power-knowledge and political rationalities within different social contexts (e.g. Turkey, European Union). His PhD project focuses on the implementation of database technology in European Union border management strategies and the consequences of this process on European citizenship. Among others, his work is particularly inspired by Foucauldian and Deleuzian political philosophy.
Email: sachilsingh@yahoo.com
Phone: 613-533-6000 ext. 75602
University of Toronto
Karen Louise Smith
is a PhD student in the Faculty of Information and Knowledge Media Design Institute at the University of Toronto. Karen is broadly interested in information communication technologies (ICTs), citizenship, social inclusion and policy. Karen has worked in roles ranging from a web design intern with a human rights organization in the Philippines to a research assistant on initiatives concerning technology in Canadian policy contexts.
Department of Sociology, Queen’s University
Ozgun Topak is a PhD student at Queen’s University. He received his previous degrees from Istanbul University (BA in Business Administration) and Middle East Technical University (MA in Sociology) in Turkey. He is broadly interested in how new surveillance mechanisms (e.g. e-government, electronic ID cards, databases) are tied to a complex set of power-knowledge and political rationalities within different social contexts (e.g. Turkey, European Union). His PhD project focuses on the implementation of database technology in European Union border management strategies and the consequences of this process on European citizenship. Among others, his work is particularly inspired by Foucauldian and Deleuzian political philosophy.
