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In depth

Are we any better at judging right from wrong? Automation in content moderation

Posted Mon 23 Sep 2019 - 15:11 | 10,020 views

Censorship has been replaced online by a system of content moderation controlled by companies, and these rely on both automation as well as human moderators employed to sift through content. The choice is not between the alleged neutrality of the impersonal machine and the errors and finiteness of human moderation, as both work in tandem.

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In depth

Doing standpoint theory

Posted Sun 1 Sep 2019 - 12:05 | 9,110 views

In this article about research with domestic workers and unions, we look at the implications of feminist methods of research and standpoint theory, and how feminist methods of research should seek to destabilise power hierarchies and dynamics. 

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Feminist talk

Sorry, we need to see a letter from an institution: Struggling as an independent researcher

Posted Thu 29 Aug 2019 - 07:05 | 8,150 views

The hallowed halls of academia, meaningless standards of rigour determine who can be a researcher. Would it be possible to truly undertake independent research outside of the aegis and agendas of institutions.

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Feminist talk

Advocating for better ICT laws at the Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum

Posted Thu 8 Aug 2019 - 06:05 | 4,116 views

The Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum just completed in July 2019 and it took place in Russia. There were very few sessions that dealt with either gender or human rights and none that addressed sexuality. At one session there were discussions on the ICT related-laws and particularly on the broad and unclear provisions that deal with online censorship.

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In depth

Private Parts: Obscenity and Censorship in the Digital Age

Posted Mon 24 Jun 2019 - 06:28 | 13,285 views

Between right-wing governments and corporate capture of online spaces, there are interesting shifts in how sexuality is censored and governed online and offline. This article looks at the reach and over-reach of laws related to obscenity and censorship in South Asia and the impact that has had on free speech around sex, sex work and sexuality.

Image illustration: drawing of a woman in a sari serving a dish with fish on it

Feminist talk

Food for the social media soul: Why Indians viciously debate nutrition online

Posted Wed 8 May 2019 - 08:22 | 23,315 views

Food and in particular nutrition for children is a widely debated topic on social media, media and onground in India, and the reason for this is how caste plays a role. This article breaks down why the imposition of veganism or a savarna diet would harm children who are poor and do not have access to the same privileges as others.

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In depth

Privacy, Personhood and Identity in Surveillance Societies

Posted Wed 6 Mar 2019 - 01:14 | 10,327 views

Privacy was initially understood simply as the right to be left alone. The increasing use of internet, social media, surveillance and algorithmic processing has however shifted the meanings of privacy, and here we explore the conceptual understandings of privacy and its links to autonomy, human dignity and self-determination.

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Feminist talk

No Photos Please: Dating & Hooking Up Via Grindr And Notions of Self-Worth

Posted Fri 18 Jan 2019 - 05:11 | 6,815 views

The second in a series on queerness and privacy, this article explores the relevance of what is legally understood as privacy in the lives of queer people and communities living in the "global South". In this article, the contradictions between online dating for queer and gay people and the precarity of their daily lives is explored.

Publication

Gender and Privacy: From Oppression to Liberation: Reclaiming the Right to Privacy

Posted Mon 7 Jan 2019 - 02:14 | 8,415 views

A report that examines the overlapping concerns of gender, privacy, surveillance, and gender-based violence in Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America. The report raises issues including gender-based violence in the private sphere, rigid gender categories in identity programs its impact on trans people, etc.

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Feminist talk

Five tips for a successful edit-a-thon on gender

Posted Thu 20 Dec 2018 - 03:50 | 6,426 views

Do you want to organise an edit-a-thon around gender, women in STEM, movements and feminist histories of organising or anything else? Here are a list of (5 and more) things to watch out for - including the safety of your participants and how to navigate the tricky but sometimes essential rules of editing content on Wikipedia.