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Information and Society

How can we do ethical computing research?  What practices should govern the management of data about vulnerable refugees?  How do information infrastructures contribute to the production of unequal or unjust societies?

In the “Information and Society” research area at the iSchool, we ask questions about the practices, discourses, and institutions which make information, data, and digital technology meaningful. Using a sociotechnical lens and humanistic, participatory, and qualitative research approaches, we work to understand how data, information, and ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) are co-constructed within and across peoples, communities, and societies. Accordingly, we investigate a range of complex phenomena from development, marginalization, and risk to disaster, design, and education with specific attention to questions of justice, personal well-being, epistemic cultures, privacy, and intellectual property.

Researchers

Current Projects and Grants

Emerging Cultures of Data Science Ethics in the Academy and Industry

PI: Anna Lauren Hoffmann
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $64,477
Dates: 2019-2020

Digital Equity Initiative – Digital Skills Project

PI: Chris Coward
Funding: City of Seattle Department of Information Technology, $20,000
Dates: 2018-2019

The Development of Ethical Cultures in Computer Security Research

PI: Megan Finn
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $336,058
Dates: 2016-2020

MOOCs for Development

PI: Maria Garrido
Funding: International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), $166,197
Dates: 2015-2016

Data & Design Methods for Supporting Crisis Informatics in Conflict Zones

PI: Karen Fisher
Funding: Facebook, $50,000

Evaluation of Namibia's RSRC's

PI: Chris Coward
Funding: Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), $156,390
Dates: 2013-2018

Multi-lifespan Information System Design

PI: Batya Friedman
Funding: National Science Foundation (NSF), $1,200,000
Dates: 2013-2016

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