Organizational Surveillance and Transparency
Calvin Morrill, Professor
Jurisprudence and Social Policy
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2023 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2024.
In 2019, Facebook and Google reported receiving over 58,000 and 20,000 search warrants respectively. These third-party businesses are not themselves the subjects of inquiry, but possess evidence relevant to investigations of crimes such as homicide, fraud, and harassment. This project studies how technology companies process search warrants, subpoenas, and other law enforcement requests for evidence.
Role: URAP apprentices will learn to build, code, and analyze two original data sets consisting primarily of Internet-based documentary and archival data: corporate transparency reports and law enforcement guidelines. In so doing, apprentices will gain experience conducting theoretically-informed qualitative and quantitative analysis. They will also learn about privacy and surveillance laws, as well as recent legal, sociological, and political science scholarship on data access and governance.
Looking for 1-2 new apprentices to join this vibrant and collegial team, in particular to work on data and statistical analysis of data using Excel, R/R Studio, or STATA.
Day-to-day supervision will be provided by Yan Fang, who is a former consumer protection attorney and a current Ph.D. Candidate in Jurisprudence and Social Policy (www.yanfang.info).
Qualifications: Significant training and/or experience in data and statistical analysis using Excel, R/R Studio, or STATA is required. This is an ideal project for students interested in law, technology, surveillance, and sociology. Applicants should be detail-oriented, well-organized, enthusiastic, and comfortable working independently. Good written and oral communication skills are also important. Some training in the social sciences and familiarity with MAXQDA or other qualitative coding software would be valuable, but is not required.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Yan Fang, Ph.D. candidate
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Students can work anywhere (on campus or remotely). Most work requires an Internet connection. The research team will meet weekly or biweekly, usually via Zoom, although some in-person meetings may be scheduled, consistent with team preferences. These meetings are opportunities for discussions of research design, methods, findings, and challenges, as well as for training and mentoring.
Social Sciences