Surveillance without borders : the case of Karen refugees in Sheffield.

GREEN, Geff and LOCKLEY, Eleanor (2014). Surveillance without borders : the case of Karen refugees in Sheffield. In: AKHGAR, Babak and ARABNIA, Hamid R., (eds.) Emerging trends in ICT security. Emerging Trends in Computer Science & Applied Computing (1). Waltman, MA, Morgan Kaufmann, 519-533.

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Official URL: http://world-comp.org/elsevier-morgan-kaufman-ICT/

Abstract

This chapter presents a recent case study of the Sheffield Karen community’s experience of surveillance and cyber conflict. It outlines and discusses how ‘local’ conflicts can be manifested at great distance, aided by ‘guerrilla’ surveillance, targeting social media and ‘phone hacking’. In this case we encountered a local conflict which occurred in a completely different locality from the place of origin. It also moved into a virtual world, one which was characterised by an ‘inverse reach’ allowing the 'oppressors' to reach out and touch the 'oppressed' through appropriating their channels of communication and using information gained though surveillance to attack them in specific ways which referenced aspects of the real conflict. Not only did this provide insight into how new media is being used in cyber warfare, but it also highlighted existing dynamics and divisions which are part of the real conflict of which this has now become a part. This account also recognises how trauma and fear can be reignited far from its place of origin and the powerful emotional impact which is gained through exploiting people's fears and paranoia in this way. This is done through attacking their sense of identity and status and referencing their direct experience of conflict with a regime more powerful than themselves. A key background activity to this work is understanding the pre-existing ethnic sensitivities and constructions of identity, but also those which are articulated through online media by both sides in the conflict. An account is provided from a participant observer's view point of view which explores the background and the anatomy of one particular cyber-attack. The nature of the attack and its responses will be discussed, including exploring, not only the online dimension to the attack, but also the more reified aspects of the way in which the community responded

Item Type: Book Section
Research Institute, Centre or Group - Does NOT include content added after October 2018: Cultural Communication and Computing Research Institute > Communication and Computing Research Centre
Departments - Does NOT include content added after October 2018: Faculty of Science, Technology and Arts > Department of Computing
Page Range: 519-533
Depositing User: Geff Green
Date Deposited: 01 Apr 2014 12:23
Last Modified: 18 Mar 2021 19:30
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7734

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