The library will be hosting workshops on digital privacy and a film screening of Coded Bias this month. Descriptions and Zoom registration links are below.
These events are open to all City Tech students and faculty. Feel free to share with your students and colleagues, and reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Digital Privacy Workshop
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2:00 pm
Do you have concerns about corporate or government surveillance, the security of your financial data, or who can view your personal information online? Wondering why virtual advertisements follow you around? Worried about how to make secure passwords and not always forgetting them? Confused about social media privacy settings or what information the apps you use might be collecting about you?
Learn more about privacy and take control of your digital identity! In this hand-on workshop, City Tech faculty, students, and staff will learn how to protect themselves against surveillance and unwanted data collection. Specific topics covered will include: password security, social media privacy, browser settings, and alternative search engines.
Register
Algorithmic Autobiographies and Fictions Library Workshop
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2:00 pm
Ever wonder what Google thinks of what kind of person you are based on the ads you see? Does Facebook accurately reflect your true self? This library workshop explores how social media platforms and search engines create identities of our digital selves. Participants will learn about search engine and social media algorithms, how to access their ad preferences for Google, Facebook, and Instagram, and will then create a short story, poem, drawing, or other creative product about their “algorithmic self.” The workshop will conclude on ways to keep your data private. It is not necessary, but it is highly encouraged that workshop attendees have a Google, Facebook, or Instagram account. This workshop has been adapted from the work of Dr. Sophie Bishop (King’s College, London) and Dr. Tanya Kant (University of Sussex).
Register
Coded Bias Screening
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2:00 pm
The library is hosting a free virtual screening of the award-winning film Coded Bias, on Tuesday, November 30th at 2:00PM, open to City Tech faculty and students. Coded Bias, directed by Shalini Kantayya, explores the work of Joy Buolamwini, a MIT Media lab researcher who discovers that facial recognition does not “see” dark-skinned faces. The film documents Buolamwini’s effort to advocate for the ban of technological bias and algorithms. The documentary film was released in 2020 and has a running time of 83 minutes.
Register
