[Bigdatasur] Data Justice Conference 2026

[Manu Luksch]

Hi Emiliano,

    hi all - I thought I'll share my upcoming film's synopsis on this list in case it is of interest&relevance for any of your programmes next year.

Emiliano - 
   the ‘Datafied State’ conference promises to be a very stimulating context for a discussion of my upcoming documentary, which is looking at the consequences of a datafied authoritarian state/monarchy, the UAE, onto the local civic agency and the role of ’nation branding’ to control it’s image abroad. 

I ‘d like to ask, if a documentary film presentation would be welcome at the conference?

Best wishes,

Manu
^^^ www.ManuLuksch.com


I Do Not Have The Courage to Stay Silent 
dir Manu Luksch, 120 min, AT/UK 2026

What connects the security of your phone, the disappearance of a citizen for a tweet, and Emirati influence on the global stage? 

The United Arab Emirates is the fantasy frontier where hi-tech dreams of smart cities and a frictionless economy are being realised today. In its preparations for a post-oil future, it is also an aggressive investor on a global scale. Emirati engineer, poet, commentator and father of four Ahmed Mansoor has over decades reflected cogently on his country's attempts to modernise while remaining a hereditary sheikhdom – lacking democracy, free speech, and an independent judiciary. For his efforts, he has endured years of state surveillance and harassment, including a spyware attack that exposed a crucial vulnerability of the iPhone to the world. 

This film traces international flows of capital and information and technological visions of progress alongside deteriorating human rights regimes and disempowerment of ordinary citizens – revealing how the brutal treatment of Mansoor is an affront and threat to us all.   



Includes interviews with

Ahmed Mansoor
tele-engineer, poet, human rights defender and currently prisoner of conscience in the UAE

Dr. Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr
Director General, Smart Dubai 2015-2020

Dr. Nick McGeehan
Gulf researcher, FairSquare

Dr. Jonathan Silver
Urban Institute, University of Sheffield

Dr. Marc Owen Jones
Associate professor of media analytics at Northwestern University in Qatar,
Author of Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East

Lasse Skou Andersen
Investigative journalist, Daagblad Information



> On 16 Oct 2025, at 20:11, Sam Takavarasha Jr <stjnr1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for this. We will strive to submit
> Best wishes,
> Sam
> 
> On Wed, 15 Oct 2025 at 13:27, Emiliano Treré <etrere at gmail.com <mailto:etrere at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Call for Papers
>> 
>> Fourth international Data Justice conference: The Datafied State
>> 
>>  
>> Date:  1-2 June, 2026
>> 
>> Location: Cardiff University in Cardiff, UK
>> 
>> Host: Data Justice Lab
>> 
>>  
>> Although contested and multifaceted, the field of data justice continues to engage critical debates on the societal implications of datafication in all its iterations, from social media to platform capitalism to the current hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI). Much of this focus has been on the potential harm of such technologies on different communities and on the societal shifts associated with their uses by a diverse range of actors. Less focus, perhaps, has been on the way the advent of data-driven technologies has intermingled with and transformed the state. From high-stake uses, such as those revealed in the Snowden leaks, to crisis management as evidenced during the Covid-19 pandemic, to the mundane and everyday delivery of public services, platforms and AI systems are now deeply embedded within roles and functions associated with the state. At the same time, the state has been instrumental in the advancement of datafication and the role that technology, and its providers, now play in society. At a time when governments and technology companies are seen to be closer than ever, examining their relationship and its consequences seems pivotal for our understanding of data justice.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> - 
>> Dr Emiliano Treré
>> Distinguished ATRAE Researcher, Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and Institute of Studies and Development of Galicia (IDEGA), Spain 
>> 
>> Co-director Data Justice Lab
>> 
>> Reader in Data Agency and Media Ecologies, School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC), Cardiff University (on career break)
>> EmilianoTrere.com <https://www.emilianotrere.com/>
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