Campus protest activity in recent years has coincided with an increase in surveillance of students via campus police, facilities management, and technology policies. Some argue that this is necessary to respond to criminal conduct such as vandalism and to support student safety. Others allege that increased monitoring leads to a deep chilling of protected expression, especially given how easy social media makes it to record and expose student demonstrators. Join a panel of experts to explore the challenges in navigating digital spaces, student safety, free expression, and civil rights from theoretical and practical perspectives.
Participants
Lisa Loveall, Director, Office of Open Expression Programs at Emory University
Lisa Loveall serves as Director of Emory University’s newly established Office of Open Expression Programs, where they lead campus education and responses to protests, demonstrations, and expressive activity. During the 2023–24 academic year, they facilitated more than 130 acts of open expression, navigating complex questions around safety, policy, and student rights during a period of heightened campus activity.
Nathan Freed Wessler, Deputy Director, ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project
Nathan Freed Wessler (@NateWessler) is a deputy director with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, where he focuses on litigation and advocacy around surveillance and privacy issues, including government searches of electronic devices, requests for sensitive data held by third parties, and use of surveillance technologies.
Lindsay Weinberg, Founding Director, Tech Justice Lab at Purdue University
Dr. Lindsay Weinberg is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Honors College at Purdue University and the Founding Director of the Tech Justice Lab. Her research and teaching are at the intersection of science and technology studies, media studies, and feminist studies, with an emphasis on the social and ethical implications of digital technology.
Michelle Deutchman, Moderator
Michelle is the inaugural executive director of the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.