Tech money in civil society: whose interests do digital rights organisations represent?

IF 1.6 3区社会学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

Cultural Studies Pub Date : 2022-03-17 DOI:10.1080/09502386.2022.2042582

Jake Goldenfein, Monique Mann

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores philanthropic interactions between ‘Big Tech’ and digital rights civil society organizations (DRCSOs) to enhance understanding of the alignment and misalignment of interests between these groups. ‘Big Tech’ wields political influence by distributing cash to research and policy organizations. Academic research supporting ‘Big Tech’ business practices is marshalled to support their political lobbying efforts, while civil society policy work shapes the narrative what dimensions of these businesses should be regulated (or not). While academic work is typically presented as a cool analysis of the relevant issues, DRCSOs purport to represent the interests of individuals and groups negatively affected by those business practices. Through empirical tracking of direct financial flows, as well as an analysis of cash distributions via class action litigation settlements, we show that certain DRCSOs have long-term financial relationships with ‘Big Tech’ that trouble our understanding of the alignments or misalignments of their interests. Through that analysis, we question where and how civil society fits into automated and algorithmic cultural production and perpetuation, and the way that Big Tech uses and guards the economic capital generated through its dominance over ‘automated culture’.

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公民社会中的科技资金:数字权利组织代表谁的利益?

本文探讨了“大科技”与数字权利公民社会组织(drcso)之间的慈善互动，以加深对这些群体之间利益一致和不一致的理解。“大型科技公司”通过向研究和政策组织提供资金来发挥政治影响力。支持“大科技”商业实践的学术研究被组织起来支持它们的政治游说努力，而民间社会的政策工作则塑造了这些企业的哪些方面应该受到监管(或不应该受到监管)的叙事。虽然学术工作通常是对相关问题的冷静分析，但drcso声称代表受这些商业行为负面影响的个人和团体的利益。通过对直接资金流动的实证跟踪，以及通过集体诉讼和解对现金分配的分析，我们表明，某些drcso与“大型科技公司”有着长期的财务关系，这给我们理解他们的利益一致或不一致带来了麻烦。通过这一分析，我们质疑公民社会在哪里以及如何适应自动化和算法文化的生产和延续，以及大型科技公司使用和保护其对“自动化文化”的主导地位所产生的经济资本的方式。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cultural Studies Multiple-

CiteScore

3.50

自引率

6.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： Cultural Studies is an international journal which explores the relation between cultural practices, everyday life, material, economic, political, geographical and historical contexts. It fosters more open analytic, critical and political conversations by encouraging people to push the dialogue into fresh, uncharted territory. It also aims to intervene in the processes by which the existing techniques, institutions and structures of power are reproduced, resisted and transformed. Cultural Studies understands the term "culture" inclusively rather than exclusively, and publishes essays which encourage significant intellectual and political experimentation, intervention and dialogue.