The “Politics of Surveillance” Internship Program

An initiative of the New Transparency: Surveillance and Social Sorting project at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
 
Overview
Information policies and practices strongly influence the quality of our lives as citizens as well as how our civic society is shaped. Students of surveillance and related information policy issues, such as privacy, identification, access, freedom of expression, etc., and with an interest in developing cutting-edge, pragmatic research projects, will have the opportunity with this internship program to put these interests to practical use. This program will facilitate student collaboration with civil society organizations through hands-on experiences, and will engage students in the active study of surveillance-related policy issues and debates. Students will assist advocacy organizations as they raise public awareness of these issues and will help contribute to the crafting of policy solutions to the challenges posed.
 
How do students benefit?
If you participate in this internship program you could …

  • … be thrust into cutting-edge, real-world surveillance policy battles happening right now in Canada,
  • … develop meaningful and CV-building connections to some of the top civil society organizations currently operating in Canada,
  • … learn what it’s like to work in the non-profit sector,
  • … advance new and existing research and public scholarship efforts,
  • … develop research and advocacy-related skills aimed at advancing practical policy outcomes,
  • … help build stronger, lasting relationships between the Canadian advocacy community and the University of Toronto,
  • … receive modest financial support from the New Transparency team (depending upon the project),
  • … have a lot of fun!

Civil Society Organizations
Here are some of the mainly Canadian groups you could be connected with:

1) British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (Vancouver) bccla.org
The BCCLA was established in 1962. They are the oldest and most active civil liberties group in Canada. Their mandate is to preserve, defend, maintain and extend civil liberties and human rights in Canada.

2) BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (Vancouver) fipa.bc.ca 
FIPA was established in 1991 to promote and defend freedom of information and privacy rights in Canada. Its goal is to empower citizens by increasing their access to information and their control over their own personal information.

3) Canadian Civil Liberties Association (Toronto) ccla.org
The CCLA was established in 1964. They are a national organization that was constituted to promote respect for and observance of fundamental human rights and civil liberties, and to defend and foster recognition of these rights and liberties.

4) Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (Ottawa) cippic.ca
CIPPIC was established in 2003. They contribute to public policy debates on technology law issues, ensure balance in policy and law-making processes, and provide legal assistance to under-represented organizations and individuals on matters involving the intersection of law and technology.

5) Council of Canadians (Ottawa) canadians.org
Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest citizens’ organization, with members and chapters across the country. They work to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, energy security, public health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians.

6) International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group (Ottawa) iclmg.ca
ICLMG was established in 2001. They defend the civil liberties and human rights set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, federal and provincial laws (such as the Canadian Bill of Rights), and international human rights instruments.

7) Openmedia.ca (Vancouver) openmedia.ca
OpenMedia.ca is a new grassroots organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open and affordable Internet. They work towards informed and participatory digital policy and seek to  empower people to participate in Internet governance through fresh & engaging citizens’ campaigns. They are known for their co-ordination of a variety of online campaigns, including  Stop The Meter, the largest online campaign in Canadian history, involving over half-a-million people, as well as the StopSpying.ca campaign against Bill C-30 (Lawful Access).

8) Privacy International (London, UK) privacyinternational.org
Privacy International was founded in 1990 and was the first organisation to campaign at an international level on privacy issues. Their mission is to defend the right to privacy across the world, and to fight unlawful surveillance and other intrusions into private life by governments and corporations.

This is not an exhaustive list of CSOs.  If you know of a group that has an active interest in a surveillance or related issue, feel free to contact us about their suitability.

Potential Projects
These are some of the projects that civil society organizations need help with!

Social science analyses (for example: surveys and interviews) for the purpose of understanding…

  • … how Canadians feel (i.e. attitudes) about privacy, surveillance,
  • … how privacy attitudes are affected by the mobile industry,
  • … how privacy attitudes are affected by ‘big data’,
  • … what Canadians think about ‘Do Not Track’,
  • … the impact of lawful access provisions on civil liberties,
  • … the implications of non-conviction records (and related surveillance) on career prospects, travel capabilities, citizenship, housing, and other eligibility decisions,
  • … the impact of the Canada/U.S. perimeter security pact on civil liberties,

Developmental Projects

  • Work with groups to test and publicize the amount of data tracking taking place on mobile devices, tablets, SmartTVs, and/or internet applications,
  • Design an app that can enhance police accountability, especially during protests, public hearings and rallies,
  • Create and deploy a crowdsourced accountability tool (for example, one that can geolocate incidents, monitor video surveillance installations and compliance (eg SurveillanceRights.ca), internet backbone surveillance (IXmaps.ca),
  • Design an app or webpage/form letter that can help people submit complaints to police oversight mechanisms,
  • Similar app/webpage for submitting comments to government or legislative representatives.

This is not an exhaustive list of projects to work on. The groups are open to your ideas as well. As described below, please feel free to provide your own surveillance-related research proposals that you think would appeal to one (or more) civil society groups.

About the Internship Program
This internship program is mainly designed to facilitate mutually rewarding and productive relationships between graduate students in the information/communication field and civil society organizations that promote information/communication rights, such as privacy, identity integrity, accessibility, open access, freedom of information, freedom of expression, etc.  Mainly this means liaising or match-making between students and CSOs, but in addition, some funding is available where this is necessary.

The coordinators of the Politics of Surveillance internship program are Dr. Jonathan Obar and Professor Andrew Clement, both at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.

Support for the internship comes via The New Transparency: Surveillance and Social Sorting, a major collaborative research initiative (MCRI) based at Queens University funded by SSHRC (2008-2015). www.sscqueens.org/projects/the-new-transparency

How To Apply
To apply for a “Politics of Surveillance” internship, please email a cover letter, CV, transcript (unofficial, e.g. screenshot)  and contact info for three references to Jonathan Obar ([email protected]) by March 15, 2013. Further deadlines will be announced by summer 2013.

In the cover letter (2 pages max), please describe your qualifications for the position. This should include an explanation of your interest in the program generally, in one or more prefered research projects and in one or more prefered civil society organizations. You should provide specific details that demonstrate how your skills and experience will make you a strong candidate. Make sure to describe any experience you have studying information policy issues (e.g. relevant courses taken, papers written) and working with the advocacy community.

If you need funding for the position, either to cover your costs or as a stipend, please specify these and provide appropriate justification. Note that our funds are limited and it is unlikely we can provide financial support for all worthy applicants. If you hope to gain academic credit in relation to the internship, please provide details of the academic program, course(s), academic supervision and relevant deadlines.

For informal inquiries, please also email Dr. Jonathan Obar ([email protected]).

Preparing to apply:
If you are interested in an internship opportunity, whether for 2013 or 2014, here are some things to consider before applying:

  • Take courses dealing with surveillance or related information policy rights (see below).
  • Begin your own research about relevant issues, or join research initiatives in these areas.
  • Familiarize yourself with relevant CSOs and their needs. This could include for example: reviewing their website, reading their materials, joining mailing lists or even contacting them directly to express interest in their work.
  • Email Jonathan Obar to chat about your interest in the program.

Recommended Courses

University of Toronto – Faculty of Information

  • INF1001: Knowledge and Media in Society (Shade)
  • INF2124: Surveillance and Identity (Phillips)
  • INF2165: Social Issues in Information and Communication Technologies (Clement/Obar) (cross listed with KMD2004)
  • INF2181: Information Policy, Regulation and the Law (Caidi)

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