New blog: Data Autonomy and Academic Freedom

As universities become more and more dependent on digital infrastructure provided by Big Tech companies, many researchers are increasingly worried about the resulting phenomenon of “digital dependence”.

There are concerns about data privacy, and the protection of confidential information. While these concerns are all legitimate, there is also another issue which directly relates to one of the core values of a university: academic freedom.
In his blog Titus Stahl argues that commitment to academic freedom requires scholarly communities to take more control of their data infrastructures than they have achieved so far.

Dr Titus Stahl is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy. His interest in data autonomy stems from the belief that democracy requires a public sphere that is not subject to the power of a few, large corporations, and that academic freedom is an essential value of a democratic society.