SCSR Panel Discussion

The technological revolution of the 1990s has profoundly changed the way that information flows in society. Every day we send numerous emails, make unprecedented numbers of calls, and make many of our purchases using online applications. We go about our business and studies everyday using online tools.

While this period of technological change has facilitated rapid economic development and advancement in a relatively short period of time, there have been unseen costs, largely in the domain of privacy. All of our online activities, from purchases to emails to internet visits, are monitored by businesses as a means of gaining greater consumer information. This erosion of personal privacy has altered the relationship between consumers and business, giving business unprecedented informational power.

Businesses are not the only institutions that have gained informational power in the new digital age. Queen's University hold vast amounts of information on its students. Grades, timetables, billing information, and email messages are all tracked by the university. Understanding the terms of Queen's privacy policy is thus very important to the student body.

On March 15th, Queen's Students for Corporate Social Responsibility (SCSR) will be holding a panel discussion on privacy, surveillance, and the balance of power between business and the citizenry. The panel will consist of Sean Reynolds, Director of Queen's ITS, and members of The Surveillance Project, including Jason Pridmore and Kathleen Greenaway. GPD Co-investigator and Director of the Monieson Centre, Yolande Chan, will also be in attendance.