Governance

Issue One • Aug 11, 2020

Our inaugural issue, Governance, explores the potential for technology to govern our lived experiences and those of our communities. It challenges us to consider how we govern technology and how technology, in turn, governs us.

Read the editor's note →

Data-Driven Diplomacy: China’s Growing Surveillance Industrial Complex

Data EthicsSurveillance

“As more authoritarian countries implement Chinese surveillance technologies and imitate Chinese surveillance practices, many citizens’ hopes for democratic governance could be diminished.”

Pandora’s Bots: Cheaper than Free Speech?

PoliticsSocial Media

Do traditional speech theories hold up against new speech technologies?

Black Voters Matter

ActivismElection

Black Voters Matter is centered around the people because we believe that there are a lot of folks that care about Black votes, but don’t care about Black voters.

A Second Look at Second Life

gaming

The responsible and rational thing to do on the internet is to ‘wear a mask’ against social plagues as well.

Data and Discretion: Why We Should Exercise Caution Around Using the COMPAS Algorithm in Court

Data Ethics

What is at stake here is the direct future of individual lives as well as the integrity of a judge’s unique discretion.

137 Questions: Criminal Risk Assessment Algorithms as a Case Study for Data Ethics

Data Ethics

In a world where 137 questions can change one’s life, governments ought to orient themselves toward a more equitable future, rather than cling to a flawed past.

Technology and Government: A Q&A with Congresswoman Eshoo

PoliticsQ&A

I worry most about the role of social media in spreading misinformation and disinformation, especially with respect to our elections.

What Can Computer Algorithms Tell Us About Literature?

Literature

What can computer algorithms reveal about Romantic poetry and the Victorian novel that a human reader cannot?

Resisting the “Facebook-ization” of Our Public Spaces

Social MediaSurveillance

Digital systems now control everything from our energy grid to transportation systems, educational venues to hospitals, manufacturing practices to elections.

Transgender Robots: Some Reflections on “Her”

Film

At its heart, science-fiction dreams up ideal worlds as expressions of our innermost desires. This film is an alternative to the many visions of struggle, binaries, finality, and fear.

Smart Solutions, Not Just Smart Cities: Proposing Design Thinking for 21st-Century Urban Planning

Urban Design

Cities need a more holistic approach to solving problems: one that includes citizens’ voices and takes into account the smart city solutions as well as the “non-smart” ones.

Deepfakes Versus Democracy

Politics

Deepfakes can render elections meaningless while also dismantling the accountability and governance structures that are central to a vibrant democracy.

An Old Dance with New Moves: Modern China’s Digital Civil Society

ChinaSocial Media

China’s attitudes towards its digital civil society is merely an old dance with new moves.

Acquiring Real Estate in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

“What is the role of the government in regulating the frequency spectrum?”

Rewired is a digital magazine where technology and society meet. We’re committed to curating stories that amplify diverse perspectives and bridge disciplines.