Rethinking access: how humanitarian technology governance blurs control and care

TY - JOUR

T1 - Rethinking access

T2 - how humanitarian technology governance blurs control and care

AU - Jacobsen, Katja Lindskov

AU - Fast, Larissa

PY - 2019/4/1

Y1 - 2019/4/1

N2 - Surprisingly little attention is paid to the role of digital technology and related forms of data production, storage, processing, and sharing in humanitarian governance. This paper uses Michael Barnett's () conceptualisation of humanitarian governance when arguing for a better accounting of technology in literature on humanitarian governance. Specifically, it proposes a two-fold alertness to governance of (a) the uses of new technology and (b) that which is produced by digital technologies. This elucidates important issues, including that of access to digitalised data collected from humanitarian subjects, with implications for their (in)security. The paper concludes by suggesting that access is no longer ‘only’ about challenges of gaining access to vulnerable populations, but also about challenges of preventing access to vulnerable digital bodies and their use for aggressive purposes. In short, access and protection acquire a new dimension and analyses of humanitarian governance must be more attentive to the role of digital technology.

AB - Surprisingly little attention is paid to the role of digital technology and related forms of data production, storage, processing, and sharing in humanitarian governance. This paper uses Michael Barnett's () conceptualisation of humanitarian governance when arguing for a better accounting of technology in literature on humanitarian governance. Specifically, it proposes a two-fold alertness to governance of (a) the uses of new technology and (b) that which is produced by digital technologies. This elucidates important issues, including that of access to digitalised data collected from humanitarian subjects, with implications for their (in)security. The paper concludes by suggesting that access is no longer ‘only’ about challenges of gaining access to vulnerable populations, but also about challenges of preventing access to vulnerable digital bodies and their use for aggressive purposes. In short, access and protection acquire a new dimension and analyses of humanitarian governance must be more attentive to the role of digital technology.

KW - agentic capacity

KW - digital technology

KW - digitalised data

KW - digitalised recipient bodies

KW - humanitarian access

KW - humanitarian technology governance

KW - vile bodies

U2 - 10.1111/disa.12333

DO - 10.1111/disa.12333

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 30821355

AN - SCOPUS:85062351913

SN - 0361-3666

VL - 43

SP - S151-S168

JO - Disasters

JF - Disasters

IS - S2

ER -