Workshop Description
Our workshop is designed to foster critical thinking about data privacy and digital profiling by encouraging participants to reflect on their experiences and collective perspectives. Over the course of the day, participants will engage in six structured activities to examine the ways personal data is generated, used, and managed.
The workshop is open to:
Individuals at all career stages and roles within the university
Members of the public who are interested in understanding digital data practices
People who cannot take part:
Individuals with a history of epilepsy or sensitivity to bright or flashing lights. This is due to the dynamic displays and bright lighting that occurs in the workshop.
The insights gathered will help inform research practices involving personal digital data and contribute to developing ethical, person-centred approaches to dataveillance.
Aims and Objectives
This workshop aims to:
- Assess participants' understanding of personal digital data, particularly data generated by or about themselves.
- Explore attitudes toward dataveillance across different domains, such as advertising, public administration, and research.
- Examine awareness of how personal digital data is collected, used, and by whom.
- Gather perspectives on the ethical use of personal data in research, identifying both acceptance and concerns.
The findings will contribute to improving research culture, ensuring greater sensitivity to privacy and ethical considerations.
What will I have to do?
You will participate in a full-day in-person workshop (9:30 AM to 4:30 PM) at Lancaster University. The day will include two coffee breaks (15 minutes each) and a 45-minute lunch break, with catering provided. The workshop will take place in the data immersion suit. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/scc/study/facilities/data-immersion-suite/
Please note that due to the dynamic displays and bright lighting that occurs in the decision theatre that the workshop may pose a risk for those with a with a history of epilepsy or sensitivity to bright or flashing lights.
During the workshop, you will:
- Respond to tasks exploring personal experiences and opinions about dataveillance
- Participate in discussions, group work, and problem-solving activities
- Create materials such as drawings, notes, and diagrams, which will be photographed or scanned
- Contribute to a final group discussion, which will be audio-recorded
Activities include:
- The Daily Data Task: Mapping daily activities that generate digital footprints
- The Digital Profile Card Game: Exploring how data pieces combine to create personal profiles
- The Personal Data Machine: Designing hypothetical devices that collect personal data
- The Ethical Binary Card Game: Deciding what data uses are acceptable or unacceptable
- The Dataveillance Manifesto: Writing principles for a more ethical future
Will I benefit from taking part?
The workshop provides an opportunity to:
- Reflect on your experiences and perspectives around data privacy
- Gain insight into digital data collection and its ethical implications
- Help shape research practices to be more ethically aware and person-centred