On November 13th, our own Prof. Rohan Grover gave a talk at the AU Internet Governance Lab:
Internet Governance Lab – Fall Talk
Title: “Beyond the State: Tech Vendors as Global Governors of Data Privacy Law”
Overview: Data privacy laws have spread around the world in the decade since the EU passed the General Data Protection Regulation. In response, a new industry of tech startups has emerged as a pivotal force in enacting these laws across borders by translating abstract frameworks into concrete technical products.
In doing so, these startups shape how companies govern data and define privacy, and they ultimately exercise a form of governance that rivals the authority of states.
Understanding how tech vendors act as global governors of data privacy offers lessons for technology policy more broadly, especially in the emerging domain of AI governance.
Rohan Grover is an Assistant Professor of AI and Media at American University’s School of Communication. His research explores the politics of technology policy, with a focus on the ethical and political dynamics of implementing data privacy law and AI governance.
His current book project draws on ethnographic research in the privacy tech industry to argue that the politics of technology policy are found not only in the letter of the law or its effects, but also in its sociotechnical relations.
Here are some additional photos from the talk:
