Speaker Series - Antagonism and Intimidation in Academia 2.0 - 2025

Surveillance, Privacy, and Algorithmic Power in the Workplace - February 27, 2025

Dr. Adam Molnar and Dr. Urs Hengartner’s interdisciplinary research project, situated at the intersection of Sociology, Law, and Computer Science, analyzes the antagonisms fueled by workplace surveillance technologies, their social impacts, and the legal frameworks intended to regulate them. Their work, which explores power imbalances created by emerging technologies in the workplace, allows for a more nuanced understanding of the complex issues surrounding worker autonomy, privacy, and human rights in the digitized workplace. Join some members of the research team (see below) for a discussion on the diverse methods used to explore these antagonisms.

Drs. Molnar and Hengartner highlight that partnerships have been integral to various aspects of this interdisciplinary team research project, and their ability to advocate for stronger worker protections in the face of these challenges. Team researchers include: 

• Adam Molnar (Assistant Professor, Sociology, Arts, UW) 

• Urs Hengartner (Associate Professor, Computer Science, UW) 

• Adam Campbell (MSc, Computer Science, UW) 

• Xavier de Carne de Carnavalet (Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Hong Kong Polytechnic University) 

• Chris Irwin (JD Candidate, McGill Law) 

• Lex Gill (Lawyer, Trudel, Johnston, L’esperance and Research Fellow, Citizen Lab, University of Toronto).  

• Nelson Goodnews Ologhadien (PhD Student, Dundee Law School, UK) 

• Florian Martin-Bariteau (Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa) 

• Eloïse Sharkey (LLM, Dundee Law School, UK) 

• Krystle Shore (Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology and Legal Studies, UW) 

• Danielle Thompson (PhD Candidate, Sociology and Legal Studies, UW)  

• Malini Vijaykumar, Employment Lawyer, Nelligan Law 

This research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and The British Academy. 

Dr. Krystle Shore is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lupina Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow, and Course Instructor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies. Her work focuses on the implementation of digital technologies in response to social problems. She is particularly interested in how such technologies are rationalized by various stakeholders, how they operate in practice, and the socio-cultural values and interests shaping their use. Her current work explores the adoption of AI-powered health records software in Canadian long-term care (LTC). She is interrogating how the software is being marketed as a “solution” to Canada’s LTC challenges, and whether the technology responds to the practical needs of LTC staff and residents.  

Danielle E. Thompson is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies. Her research interests are in the areas of surveillance and technology, privacy, policing, and gendered studies. Her most recent publications appear in the Canadian Review of Sociology, Canadian Journal of Law and Technology, and Policing & Society. Her research examining the impacts of employee monitoring applications in Ontario has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. 

Freedom of Expression and Inclusive Engagement - January 16, 2025

We invite you to attend our first panel discussion of 2025 entitled, ‘Freedom of Expression and Inclusive Engagement.’ We will explore the tensions between freedom of expression and protection from harm, and the antagonisms inherent in drawing expressive limits. Discussion will focus on the possibility of having a principled approach and on how centres charged with doing equity, diversity, and anti-racist work can be empowered to help us better understand what rests at the core of an institution's duty of care.

Dr. Laura Mae Lindo (she/her/elle) is a respected activist and educator who holds both a Masters and PhD in Education. Committed to centering the most vulnerable in all she does, Dr. Lindo's work is enhanced by her acute knowledge of how to put anti-oppression theories into practice. A courageous public speaker, Dr. Lindo is known to take on issues often left unaddressed by the mainstream. From philosophy to politics, and from the academy to the community, Dr. Lindo grounds her practices in gratitude and love. She is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Dax D’Orazio is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph, a Research Associate with the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Queen's University, and a Research Affiliate with the Centre for Constitutional Studies in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta. His research is focused on three different areas: the law and politics of freedom of expression in Canada, the system of police oversight in Ontario, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. In addition to academic research, he is also a podcaster, occasional journalist, and commentator. 

Dr. Emmett Macfarlane is a political scientist whose research focuses on the intersection of governance, constitutional law, and public policy, with a particular focus on rights and institutions. Among his ongoing projects is an analysis of the regulation of online hate speech in Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Among his recent books is a co-authored book titled Legislating under the Charter: Parliament, Executive Power, and Rights (University of Toronto Press, 2023), and the edited collection Dilemmas of Free Expression (University of Toronto Press, 2022). In 2023, Professor Macfarlane served as a member of the University of Waterloo Task Force on Free Expression and Inclusive Engagement.