Enabling digital citizenship? The reshaping of surveillance policy after Snowden

The revelations by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have led to policy reform debates in several countries and to policy change in some, including a new legislative framework in the UK—the Investigatory Powers Act. In this article, we trace the forces and dynamics that have shaped this particular policy response. We investigate key controversies over the types and extent of surveillance; the capacity of different stakeholders to intervene into the debate and shape its outcomes; the attempts to achieve democratic legitimacy for data collection; and the consequences for digital citizenship. Drawing from a systematic analysis of relevant policy documents and interviews with key policy experts and stakeholders, we analyze conflicts over both the direction and details of surveillance policy, and uncover unequal degrees of influence over policy reform for different stakeholders. As a result, policy reform has led to a confirmation, rather than restriction, of data collection. Digital citizenship may be supported by the (limited) policy review in the UK and the development of a more transparent legislative framework, but is impeded by a growing range of surveillance capabilities

The Post-Snowden Surveillance Policy Turmoil

Arne Hintz and Lina Dencik are conducting an 18-month research project based at Cardiff University, ‘Digital Citizenship and Surveillance Society‘, looking to review and analyse what the Snowden revelations mean for policy, technology, media and civil society. Preliminary results of their research will be presented at the ‘Surveillance and Citizenship’ conference, which starts tomorrow

At the margins of internet governance: grassroots tech groups and communication policy

This article examines grassroots tech groups as civil society media (CSM) actors marginalised in the communications policy debate. We aim to insert these key providers of information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure into discussions on enabling CSM policy agendas. The article maps their policy objectives, traces their connections to broader Internet governance mechanisms and explores their potential roles as policy stakeholders. We conclude that grassroots tech groups, while operating largely outside of the debate, offer unique perspectives and contributions to multi-stakeholder policy dialogue, challenging norms of inclusion and representation

Outsourcing surveillance - privatising policy: communications regulation by commercial intermediaries

The Snowden revelations of mass online surveillance have provided unprecedented information on state-based surveillance mechanisms. However they have also directed our attention to the role of commercial actors and private intermediaries. Commercial social media platforms are engaged in large-scale data collection and have been at the core of several NSA/GCHQ programmes—sometimes unknowingly, sometimes reluctantly, sometimes willingly. This article will discuss the role of private actors in surveillance strategies within the wider context of the privatisation of communication policy. It will demonstrate how intermediaries have not only been assigned a greater role in implementing laws and regulations, but have moved towards actively formulating and setting policy that deeply affects freedom of expression and data protection. I will discuss the implications for both legal and democratic processes, highlighting the problem of outsourcing control over key civic rights. I will situate this emerging authority of commercial actors in broader trends of communication policy that include networked multi-stakeholder processes, standard-setting by technical developers, and civil society practices of developing model laws and regulatory proposals as a form of ‘DIY policy-making’

Data policies : regulatory approaches for data-driven platforms in the UK and EU

The study analyzed trends and implications of current policy reform for data collection, analysis and sharing via web-based platforms. In particular, it interrogated emerging regulatory frameworks that shape, constrain or advance citizens’ control over data that concerns them and that affects their lives. It focused on policy change in the UK and EU, particularly the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK Investigatory Powers (IP) Act and Digital Economy (DE) Act, as a political and economic environment where rapid change in both platform and data policies is emerging

Media at the margins? After the mainstreaming of participatory media practices

The Journal of Alternative and Community Media is being launched at a point in time that is both interesting and challenging. Key practices and value propositions of what used to be niche media have reached the mainstream and have become cornerstones of everyday communication. Yet many alternative and community media are struggling, and academic attention often remains focused on the classic margins of the media ecology. What has changed, and what does this mean for our academic field