Tag Technopolice
Odyssey 2.0: Undoing the Machine-World
Three years ago Odyssée 2.0 came out. This book (in French) was born from a photographic and literary project freely inspired by Homer’s myth. Together with photographer Alexa Brunet, we traced Ulysses’ wanderings through Technopolis, a fictional and dystopian “Smart City.” Below is the translation of the introduction I wrote for that occasion —it had never been published online. In it, I explore the didactic virtues …
The Practical Limits of Algorithmic Transparency: Lessons from France
This paper draws on a talk given a few months ago at the International Conference “Algorithmic transparency and the digital rule of law”, at the Sciences Po Paris Law School. Thanks to Lucas Anjos and Rebecca Mignot-Mahdavi for the invitation. Abstract In the face of concerns raised by AI systems in recent years, transparency has emerged as a central governance principle, enshrined in regulations from France’s Digital Republic …
Olympic Surveillance Between Paris and London
Thanks to Emma Mc Cluskey and Akos Kopper, a cross-interview with Myrtille Picaud and Pete Fussey has just been published in the journal PARISS (Political Anthropological Research on International Social Sciences). In it, we look back at surveillance during the Paris 2024 and London 2012 Olympic Games. Abstract Pete Fussey conducted extensive research on Olympic surveillance in London, and Myrtille Picaud, an urban policy sociologist, carried out …
Predictive Policing in France: Calling for a Ban
As part of a European initiative coordinated by Statewatch, me and my colleague Eda Nano worked with La Quadrature du Net for a report on the state of predictive policing in France. In light of the information gathered, and given the dangers these systems carry when they incorporate socio-demographic data as a basis for their recommendations, we call for their ban. After documenting back in 2017 the arrival of so-called predictive policing …
Promises & Pitfalls of Activist-Researcher Collaborations
In late January, I took a train up North to attend a conference on predictive policing organized at the IT University of Copenhagen. This international gathering brought together researchers working on the transformation of police surveillance in the digital age, with a particular focus on predictive policing. Predictive policing in France Together with Edlira Nano (who sadly could not make the trip), we presented an overview of predictive …
A visit at the gala of AN2V, the French video-surveillance lobby
In French only. Il a fallu débourser 180€ et s’arracher à la torpeur de ce début d’été pour gagner le droit de s’attabler incognito au beau milieu du « milieu » français de la vidéosurveillance policière. L’AN2V, ou association nationale de la vidéoprotection, tenait l’une de ses « nuits de l’AN2V » à Paris le 27 juin dernier. Événement biennal, les « nuits » sont le moment le plus people de cette association de fabricants, de distributeurs, …
Action-Research on Algorithmic Policing
In June, during the European Workshops in International Studies, I presented of a draft paper regarding ongoing action-research concerning algorithmic urban policing, analyzing methodological and political challenges of fieldwork on AI-powered surveillance systems. Abstract This paper examines methodological and epistemological issues of action-research on algorithmic policing, based on empirical investigation of AI-powered surveillance system …