Exhibits at The Glass Room New York
In November and December 2016, Tactical Tech in partnership with Mozilla, opened The Glass Room NYC, an immersive pop-up tech store with a twist, that explored the issues of data and privacy through art, interactive displays and workshops.
Something to hide
Who is working for whom when we accept the deal of providing our data in return for free services, how much of this ‘personal’ data is still ours and who really owns it? Through a series of playful objects this tables invites us to reconsider what we mean when we say we have ‘nothing to hide’.
Normal is boring
How powerful is the ‘disruption’ of Silicon Valley? Branded as disruptive ‘Un-Companies’, these entities are more precisely major stake holders of power, influence, and wealth. Exhibits at this table explore what is being done with the vast accumulation of knowledge, wealth and power by tech companies and tech billionaires. All works in this section are by Tactical Tech and La Loma.
Big Mama
A comprehensive look into the modern state’s reinvention of itself as the e-government or digital agency. Objects here demonstrate institutionalized methods of data observation, tracking, pattern recognition and its adaptation to governmental operations from national identification to refugee aid. Dressed up as care, Big Mama takes these precautions because “it’s for your own good”.
Data Detox Bar
At the Data Detox Bar, you are invited to explore the inside of the online world. Visit the Alternative App Centre to get open-source tools and services for improved privacy. Let our staff of Ingeniuses help you trace your digital footprints, and pick up a Data Detox Kit for an 8-day programme of practical tips on how to manage your digital life.
Out of the box
Have you ever wondered what your data looks like from the other side–what cellphone providers, internet providers or websites can see about you andy our preferences and habits as you use their services? If so, take a look at these short, soundless animations showing a bird’s eye view of what data is collected, by who and how. Some of the animations look at the data traces we leave behind when we use digital devices moving around the city or a physical space, some look at how our work and life patterns can be seen from our online data traces as we browse the web,send emails or use social media sites, and others look at how our data is bought, sold, analyzed and utilized and how it begins to shape the societies we live within.