#HTE

Upcoming “Digital Self-Defense and Empowerment Workshops”

For those of you in the NYC area this summer, the New Museum is holding a fascinating-sounding series of “Digital Self-Defense and Empowerment Workshops” on July 22nd.

This afternoon of workshops extends the exhibition’s inquiry into the complexities of determining identity and truth to the online sphere. Addressing increasing vulnerability and participation in surveillance, artists and activists will offer tools to learn about how data is mined and fed back to us, as well as strategies for self-protection, particularly for members of vulnerable communities. Workshops will support the demystification of hidden processes through both tactile, hands-on experiences and analytic software.

The workshops will be presented in three separate parts throughout the day.

Part 1: Handmade Computers with Taeyoon Choi

What is computer, really? Computer is an idea that’s evolved over time. The sleek machines we use day-to-day are made from elements extracted from the earth, and every bit of data is actually something, somewhere. And underneath the operating systems, there’s a history that needs to be examined.


Let’s build a computer, from its most fundamental elements: Adder, Clock, and Memory. By handmaking a computer, soldering electronic components, we may find an elegance in the abstraction and repetition of computational logic that can only be described as “poetic.” The 1-Bit Computer Kit is an open-source tool and curriculum for making computing more accessible. By learning how computers work on a fundamental level, participants can gain agency and imagine a reciprocal relationship with technology. We can make technology more approachable by giving access to tools and ideas and demystifying computer science.

Part 2 - Data Selfie with DATA X

DATA X will demonstrate Data Selfie, a browser extension that aims to provide a personal perspective on data mining, predictive analytics, and our online data identity—including inferred information from our consumption. Algorithms and Big Data are increasingly defining our lives. Therefore, it is important—especially for those who are indifferent to this issue—to be aware of the power and influence your own data has on you. DATA X believes in information transparency, online consumer protection, and the democratization of the internet.

Part 3 - Digital Self-Defense with Equality Labs

Equality Labs, a South Asian women’s, gender non-conforming, and trans tech collective will present a security self-defense training for your digital movement. In this two-hour workshop, learn more about the surveillance state and how you can be part of a collective self-defense movement to secure our phones, computers, network access, identities, and communication.

Tickets are free with pre-registration, and it looks like you cannot register for all three in one fell swoop, but need to register for each workshop individually. To do so, click on any of the links above.