Surveillance and Vendor Data Panel, University of Virginia Library

The University of Virginia Library presented this Surveillance and Vendor Data Panel discussion via Zoom on November 8, 2021.

Shoshana Zuboff, professor emerita at Harvard Business School, warns that the conveniences of on demand digital information have made us blind and deaf to the ways high-tech giants exploit our personal data for their own ends.

In her book, “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” Zuboff picks up on her argument that surveillance capitalism, a term she coined in 2014, is undermining personal autonomy and eroding democracy.

The panel took advantage of local expertise on how UVA can pay attention to this trend and make choices for the Library and the University that account for both information needs and user privacy needs.

The conversation surveyed the following panelists, speaking from their experiences and perspectives:
-Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy, on University policy and wider legal views
-Judy Thomas, Director of Faculty Programs, on automatic textbook billing
-Robin Ruggaber, Director of Strategic Technology Partnerships & Initiatives, on open infrastructure and IT security
-Tim Morton, Manager, Resource Acquisition & Description, on vendor contract language
-Ellen Ramsey, Acting Director of Scholarly Communications, as moderator

Questions discussions on the accompanying recording cover:

1. What do we mean by “surveillance” when we talk about it in this context (of library vendors and textbook publishers)? Who is surveilled? How? Why?
2. What are some of the ways that surveillance plays a part in the business models of the vendors we deal with?
3. How does surveillance in the academic context relate to the broader phenomenon of surveillance capitalism?
4. Are the dangers and downsides of surveillance the same in the academy as elsewhere, or are there surveillance problems unique to the academic context?
5. How does the law in the US deal with concerns about privacy and surveillance? What are some of the criticisms of this approach?
6. What are some concrete steps the Library can take to begin to address the issues raised today?