[Air-L] Gender & Tech Talk Series – March 26, 10:00am EDT – Immigration and Techno-authoritarianism

[Jess Reia]

Dear colleagues,



The Digital Technology for Democracy Lab is pleased to announce the 9th
session of the Gender & Tech Online Talk Series, scheduled for March 26,
2026, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).



The “Immigration and Techno-authoritarianism” talk will explore the role of
digital technologies in the production and expansion of surveillance
networks that currently impact fundamental rights, enshrine authoritarian
practices in public services and processes, and deepen social inequalities
worldwide. Speakers will be invited to discuss: What are the most important
issues for gender minorities of the use of AI in immigration systems and
border control? How do procurement and public-private partnerships
facilitate the deployment of immigration surveillance systems? Are
enterprises responsible for amplifying human rights violations and enabling
anticipatory compliance with authoritarian/illiberal governments? What role
does technology play in building support networks for immigrant communities?




We are honoured to welcome two keynote speakers:

Roya Pakzad (Taraaz)

Ana Brian Nougrères (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy)



The webinar is free and open to the public. You can register here:
https://dtdlab.virginia.edu/event/gender-tech-immigration-techno-authoritarianism/




The Gender & Tech Online Talk Series brings together leading scholars,
advocates, and practitioners to examine the intersections of gender,
technology, democracy, and human rights. Its purpose is to critically
explore how digital platforms and technological infrastructures impact
women, queer, and gender-diverse individuals, while also identifying
pathways toward more inclusive, rights-based models of digital governance.




The conversation will be conducted in English, but we can facilitate
questions submitted in ES, PTBR and FR.


We invite everyone interested in advancing equity and justice in tech
governance to participate in this important conversation. The series is
sponsored by the UVA DTD Lab.



Please feel free to share this announcement.



Thank you!

Jess and Yasmin


Jess Reia, Ph.D.  (they/them)

Andrew Carnegie Fellow <https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/jess-reia/>
Assistant Professor of Data Science
Faculty co-lead, Digital Technology for Democracy Lab
<https://karshinstitute.virginia.edu/digital-technology-democracy-lab>,
University
of Virginia
reia at virginia.edu | https://datascience.virginia.edu/