In an increasingly digital world, how will our personal rights and democracy change — or have they already? On October 14, international best-selling author and expert on “surveillance capitalism,” Shoshana Zuboff will discuss the rise of the digital age and descent of democracy as the virtual 2021 George D. Aiken Lecture keynote speaker.

Zuboff’s “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Feature at the New Frontier of Power,” named one of the most 100 Notable Books of 2019 by “The New York Times,” synthesizes years of research on the threats posed by surveillance capitalism, a term she developed in 2014 .

“We decide how we are going to be governed in a democracy. Facebook can do whatever it wants, so can Apple and Google, so can Microsoft, so can Amazon; they have unaccountable power,” Zuboff says. “This is a wake-up call. Together, citizens and law makers can build the infrastructures of laws and rights that we all need to tether this to our fundamental rights, tether it to public service, and make this digital century a safer democracy.” 

Professor Emerita at Harvard Business School, Zuboff will be joined by Chris Danforth, a professor of mathematics and statistics at UVM and director of the Vermont Advanced Computing Core, in a virtual discussion about her newest book and what can happen if surveillance capitalism is left unchecked. She will offer an engaging and interactive conversation about a digital future in which personal information remains personal and independently controlled.

The annual Aiken Lecture Series is sponsored this year by the University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences in partnership with UVM Continuing and Distance Education. 

“Many of us at UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences work on machine-learning algorithms for happiness meters, polymer composite optimization and more,” said CEMS Dean Linda Schadler. “We all use technical devices that are likely supplying data. Do we know how our fundamental contributions and data are being used in this world of surveillance capitalism? Did we realize that we and our information are the iron ore of the digital age?”

Zuboff’s virtual lecture is free and open to the public on Thursday, October 14, at 5:00 pm. Learn more about the event, speakers and RSVP.

The University of Vermont’s George D. Aiken Lectures are a permanent tribute to the former Dean of the United States Senate and Governor of Vermont for his many years of service to the people of the state and nation. The George D. Aiken Lecture series has been supported by an endowment created by George and Lola Aiken and held annually at the University of Vermont. Since 1975, the lectures provide a platform for distinctive views on critical American issues and is the University’s major annual public-policy forum.