Weizenbaum-Forum: Can counterdata be civic? Exploring the limits of data, contestation and governance

Civic data – both captured and owned by the citizens for the citizens – seem to be crucial for addressing local issues affecting current and future generations. This data empowers citizens with the knowledge and resources to take action. As Big Techs collect more top-down data, civic data's value will continue to rise as a representation medium for local issues.

In this Weizenbaum Forum, participants will discuss connections between civic data and counterdata production. For example, how the multiple sites of the term's etymological origins within Black resistance efforts and Indigenous mapping impact how we think about (counter)data production? We discuss the potentials and limits of civic data and counterdata in promoting democratic participation by highlighting gaps existing in administrative statistics and big data generation, collection, and analysis.

Please register for the event here by 17 October 2023

OUR GUESTS:

• Yuya Shibuya, Weizenbaum Research Fellow and Associate Professor Human Centered Urban Informatics Lab, Center for Spatial Information Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan
• Seyi Olojo, Guest Researcher at Weizenbaum Institute and PhD student, UC Berkeley School of Information, USA
• Radhika Krishnan, Assistant Professor with the Human Sciences Research Group, IIIT Hyderabad, India

MODERATION:

Andrea Hamm, Research Associate, Weizenbaum Institute