- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

RIP Prof Dave Farber (Keio CCRC and the longrunning 'Interesting People' listserv)
by Richard Forno 08 Feb '26

08 Feb '26

Hi AoIRistas -- This just crossed my feeds today. I'm very sad to share that we lost an internet legend and critical technology thinker this weekend. https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/ietf/hyJBX_lXzJ8bXBpAyImNCXOW_no/ ----- Forwarded message from "Cherry, Hei Yui WONG" <cherry.heiyui(a)keio.jp> ----- > Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2026 11:06:40 +0900 > From: "Cherry, Hei Yui WONG" <cherry.heiyui(a)keio.jp> > Subject: Sad news: Dave Farber has passed away > > We are heartbroken to report that our colleague -- our mentor, friend, and > conscience -- David J. Farber passed away suddenly at his home in Roppongi, > Tokyo. He left us on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the too-young age of 91. > > To his son Manny, he was simply ???Dad???, his bedrock whom he will miss > immeasurably. They spoke almost daily by video throughout his time in > Japan, and shared special times on numerous visits. He is survived by son > Manny Farber and daughter-in-law Mei Xu, daughter-in-law Carol Hagan and > grandsons Nate Farber and Sam Farber. He was preceded in death by his wife > Gloria (G.G.) and son Joe Farber. > > Dave???s career began with his education at Stevens Institute of Technology, > which he loved deeply and served as a Trustee. He joined the legendary Bell > Labs during its heyday, and worked at the Rand Corporation. Along the way, > among countless other activities, he served as Chief Technologist of the > U.S. Federal Communications Commission; became a proficient > (instrument-rated) pilot; and was an active board member of the Electronic > Frontier Foundation, a digital civil-liberties organization. > > His professional accomplishments and impact are almost endless, but often > captured by one moniker: ???grandfather of the Internet,??? acknowledging the > foundational contributions made by his many students at the University of > California, Irvine; the University of Delaware; the University of > Pennsylvania; and Carnegie Mellon University > > In 2018, at the age of 83, Dave moved to Japan to become Distinguished > Professor at Keio University and Co-Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization > Research Center (CCRC). He loved teaching, and taught his final class on > January 22, 2026. > > At CCRC, one of his most enjoyable activities was co-hosting the IP-Asia > online gathering, which has met every Monday for more than five years and > has addressed many aspects of the impact of technology on civilization. > Dave thrived in Japan in every way. > > We, the IP-Asia community, will gather for an online remembrance of Dave at > the usual time and place, 2100 JST on Monday, February 9, 2026. > > It???s impossible to summarize a life and career as rich and long as Dave???s > in our few words here. And each of us, even those who knew him for decades, > represent just one facet of his life. But because we are here at its end, > we have the sad duty of sharing this news. Further information and a more > formal obituary are forthcoming. > > With condolences to Manny and the rest of the family, > > Jiro Kokuryo > Cherry Wong > Kaori Suzuki > Rodney Van Meter > Dan Gillmor > > Manny can be reached at manny.farber(a)gmail.com <mailto:manny.farber@gmail.com>. ----- End forwarded message ----- RIP, Dave. All of us Interesting People have been touched in one way or other by your work, thoughts, and thoughtfulness over the many years, and will miss you. -- rick -- Richard F. Forno, Ph.D. Teaching Professor, CSEE Director, Graduate Cybersecurity Programs Associate Director, UMBC Cybersecurity Institute Affiliate Scholar, Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society

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International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026): Second Call for Research Papers (2nd Round)
by Announce 08 Feb '26

08 Feb '26

*** Second Call for Research Papers (2nd Round) *** International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026) 29 September - 2 October 2026, 5* St. Raphael Resort and Marina Limassol, Cyprus https://conf.researchr.org/home/variability-2026 The International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026) invites high-quality contributions from researchers and practitioners in software engineering, systems engineering, and related disciplines focussing on a broad spectrum of methods, concepts, and tools for variability. VARIABILITY aims to be the premier forum for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and results in all aspects of software and systems variability management, reuse, software configuration, and customization. As software and systems become increasingly configurable, reusable, and adaptable, managing their variability across all lifecycle phases is more critical—and more challenging —than ever. VARIABILITY 2026 seeks to bring together the diverse communities that address these challenges from theoretical, technical, and practical perspectives. VARIABILITY results from a merge of three prominent conferences focussing on software and systems variability, configuration and reuse: SPLC (the International Systems and Software Product Line Conference, 29 successful editions), VaMoS (the International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems, 19 successful editions), and ICSR (the International Conference on Systems and Software Reuse, 22 successful editions). VARIABILITY is by design open as a conference. It welcomes new fields of variability- intensive research, such as artificial intelligence, hybrid software-hardware systems, etc. For this first edition of VARIABILITY, we strive to continue the success of the predecessor conferences ICSR, SPLC, and VaMoS by welcoming high-quality submissions for the research track in numerous closely related areas, such as systems and software product lines, systems and software reuse, configurable systems and software, product configuration, and systems and software variability. We will award the best research paper and the best artifact paper. Topics of Interest We invite contributions on variability management, reuse, and configuration across all phases of the software and systems lifecycle. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Requirements & Domain Engineering • Domain analysis and variability modeling • Decision modeling and support • Customization and personalization specification • Requirements variability and traceability Architecture & Design • Variability-aware software architectures • Architecture-centric product line engineering • Model-driven engineering (MDE) • Multi-product lines, program families, product lines of product lines, software ecosystems Implementation & Code Generation • Generative programming and code synthesis • Modularization techniques for reusable code • Programming languages and frameworks for variability • Open-source strategies for software reuse Testing, Verification & Quality Assurance • Testing and analysis of configurable systems • Safety and security in variable systems • Formal Methods for Software Product Lines • Non-functional properties: quality-aware analysis, quality-driven configuration • Reuse in testing, verification, and quality assurance Evolution, Maintenance & Operation • Refactoring and restructuring of configurable systems • Reverse engineering, variability mining, and refactoring • Runtime variability and dynamic (software) product lines • Maintenance strategies for large-scale reused systems • Variability in DevOps and CI/CD pipelines AI and Data-Driven Methods • Machine learning for variability management • AI-assisted product configuration • Data and repository mining from product lines and configuration histories • Recommendation systems for reuse and customization Publication of Proceedings Accepted papers will be published in the VARIABILITY 2026 proceedings by Springer in the LNCS series. Submission Guidelines Paper Types We invite the following types of submissions: • Full Papers (up to 18 pages excluding references): Research papers must present original, unpublished work with validated results through empirical evaluation, formal analysis, or implementation-based experiments. Submissions must clearly articulate the problem, its relevance, the proposed contribution, and validation results. • Short Papers (6 - 8 pages excluding references): Short papers present early-stage research, novel ideas, or conceptual proposals that are not yet fully developed or validated but offer promising directions. These papers should articulate the vision, motivation, and potential impact. Formatting Papers must use the Springer LNCS template according to: https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu… Springer provides author guidelines that should be consulted for further details: https://resource-preview-cms.springernature.com/springer-cms/rest/v1/conten… Submission Link Submissions should be made via Easy Chair, selecting the research track: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=variability2026 Paper Originality, Double-Anonymous Policy, Reviewing All papers must be original and not under review elsewhere. Submissions will be double- anonymous and reviewed by at least three experts. Submissions will be evaluated based on their novelty, relevance, rigor, transparency, and presentation. Authors of submissions to the first deadline might be invited to submit a revision of their papers to the second deadline, which will be reviewed as a revision. Revisions Research-track papers can be submitted to the first or second cycle. In the first cycle, papers can receive the following decisions: accept, revision, or reject. Revision means that the reviewers believe that the paper has potential, but that its quality or contribution is not yet ready for publication. Such papers are offered lightweight shepherding by a community member, who is not necessarily a PC member or reviewer. Revised papers should be submitted to the second cycle together with a response letter, explaining how the reviewer comments were addressed. They are then reviewed by the same PC members. Papers rejected in the first cycle can be resubmitted in the second cycle, but need to contain an appendix “Changes to First-Cycle Submission” at the end of the PDF (after references, regardless of the page limit) that lists the major changes in bullet-point format. Best Paper Awards Springer will sponsor the awards for bet papers with an overall amount of €1000. Journal Special Issue Selected accepted papers will be invited to submit extended versions with at least 30% additional and original material, to be published in a special issue in a reputable Software Engineering journal (currently under negotiation). Important Dates (AoE) • Paper Submission Deadline (2nd Round): 2 April 2026 • Notification of Acceptance (2nd Round): 1 June 2026 • Camera-Ready Deadline: 15 July 2025 • Author Registration: 15 July 2025 Organisation General Chairs • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus • Gilles Perrouin, FNRS & University of Namur, Belgium Research Track Chairs • Thorsten Berger, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany • Ina Schaefer, KIT, Germany Industry Track Chairs • Shaukat Ali, Simula Research Lab and Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany Journal First Track Chairs • Mathieu Acher, University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, IRISA, France • Xhevahire Tërnava, LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France Doctoral Symposium Track Chairs • Rick Rabiser, LIT CPS, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria • Iris Reinhartz-Berger, University of Haifa, Israel Demos and Tools Track Chairs • Sandra Greiner, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark • Leopoldo Teixeira, Federal University of Pernambuco Projects Showcase Chairs • Daniel Struber, Chalmers, University of Gothenburg, Radbound University, Sweden • Dalila Tamzalit, Nantes Université, France Hall of Fame Chairs • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany • Goetz Botterweck, Lero - The Irish Software Research Centre and University of Limerick, Ireland • Natsuko Noda, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan Workshops Chairs • Lidia Fuentes, Universidad de Malaga, Spain • Malte Lochau, University of Siegen, Germany Tutorials Chairs • Loek Cleophas, Eindhoven University of Technology and Stellenbosch University, The Netherlands • Mahsa Varshosaz, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark Proceedings Chair • Sophie Fortz, King's College London, UK Publicity Chairs • Wesley Assunção, North Carolina State University, USA • Kentaro Yoshimura, Hitachi Ltd, Japan Local Organiser and Finance Chair • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

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RECORDING: Applying the DTSP Safe Framework to Hosting, Registries, and Registrars: From Compliance to Operational Maturity
by Joly MacFie 07 Feb '26

07 Feb '26

[image: ISOC LIVE] <https://isoc.live/>VIDEO <https://youtu.be/jF48PKvRSEQ> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/topdns11/topdns11.mp3> | RECAP <https://www.patreon.com/posts/150122559/> | SLIDES <https://archive.org/download/topdns11/topdns11_SLIDES.pdf> | ARCHIVE <https://archive.org/details/topdns11> | PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/20186> On 4 February 2026, eco’s topDNS Initiative <https://topdns.eco.de/>, in cooperation with the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership <https://dtspartnership.org/> (DTSP), hosted the first *topDNS Best Practice webinar* of 2026, ‘Applying the DTSP Safe Framework to Hosting, Registries, and Registrars: From Compliance to Operational Maturity <https://topdns.eco.de/topdns-best-practice-series-applying-the-dtsp-safe-fr…>‘. Speakers Farzaneh Badiei <https://www.linkedin.com/in/farzaneh-badiei-phd-768224b5/> and David Sullivan <https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmcgrawsullivan/> focused on how infrastructure providers can apply the DTSP Safe Framework (ISO/IEC 25389 <https://www.iso.org/standard/90106.html>) to strengthen trust and safety practices beyond baseline compliance. The discussion framed the topic in the context of expanding global online safety regulation – particularly the EU Digital Services Act <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Services_Act> (DSA) and its transparency reporting obligations – and the need for a shared, globally usable vocabulary and approach that reflects different infrastructure roles. SPEAKERS Farzaneh Badiei – Head of Outreach and Engagement, Digital Trust & Safety Partnership / Founder, Digital Medusa David Sullivan – Executive Director, Digital Trust & Safety Partnership HOSTS Lars Steffen – Director International, eco – Association of the Internet Industry Thomas Rickert – Director Names & Numbers, eco – Association of the Internet Industry - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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State of the Net 2026 - Full livestream schedule
by Joly MacFie 07 Feb '26

07 Feb '26

[image: ISOC LIVE] <https://isoc.live/20101> LIVESTREAM <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlg8We3ePxcNZEuAOtiJyuPrYX7xHUUw0> | PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/20101> | ADD TO CALENDAR <https://addcal.io/e/74j6rjxcjczp> On Monday February 9, 2026 from 9am-5:15pm EST (14:00-22:15 UTC) the Internet Education Foundation <https://www.neted.org/> presents the 2026 State of the Internet <https://www.stateofthenet.org/> (SOTN) conference in Washington DC. Annually attracting over 600 attendees, the State of the Net Conference provides unparalleled opportunities to network and engage on key policy issues. It is also the only Internet policy conference with over 50 percent of Congressional staff and government policymakers in attendance, making it the perfect setting to explore important, emerging trends. AGENDA https://sotn26.sched.com/ (All times EST = UTC-5) PLENARY + BREAKOUT 1 VIEW ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/WIrMZOdVAcw 9:15am – Welcome / Introductions 9:30am – Keynote with Arpan Sura Arpan Sura – Senior Counsel and Chief AI Officer, Federal Communications Commission 9:45am – Fireside Chat with Congresswoman April McClain Delaney The Honorable April McClain Delaney – Representative of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, U.S. House of Representatives 10:15am – Keynote with Commissioner Anna Gomez The Honorable Anna Gomez – Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission 10:30am – 30 for 30: 30 Years of Broadband Competition, 30 Years of What’s Next Evan Swarztrauber – Senior Fellow, Foundation for American Innovation David Don – Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Comcast Blair Levin – Policy Analyst, New Street Research Christopher Lewis – President & CEO, Public Knowledge Moderator: Kelcee Griffis – Telecom Reporter, Bloomberg News 11:30am – The Future of AI Infrastructure: Affordably Securing Energy for Innovation Lindsey Baxter Griffith – Chief Executive Officer, Clean Tomorrow Steve DelBianco – President & CEO, NetChoice Tanya Das – Vice President of Strategy, Dataerai Marsden Hanna – Head of Energy and Sustainability Policy, Google Moderator: Rebecca Kern – Senior Correspondent, The Capitol Forum 12:30pm – Lunch 1:30pm – Keynote with Cory Gardner The Honorable Cory Gardner – President & CEO, NCTA 1:45pm – Keynote with Commissioner Olivia Trusty The Honorable Olivia Trusty – Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission 2:00pm – Fireside Chat with Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling The Honorable Keith Sonderling – Deputy Secretary of Labor, Department of Labor Steve DelBianco – President & CEO, NetChoice 2:30pm – Verifying the Future: The Paxton Decision, Age Assurance, and the Next Phase of Online Safety Ariel Fox Johnson – Senior Advisor, Common Sense Media Sarah Scheffler – Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University Jessica Melugin – Director, Competitive Enterprise Institute Jon Schweppe – Senior Advisor, American Principles Project Moderator: Ashley Gold – Senior Tech Policy Reporter, Axios 3:30pm – Coffee Break 3:45pm – Fireside Chat with Assistant Secretary Arielle Roth The Honorable Arielle Roth – Administrator, National Information and Telecommunications Administration Moderator: Daniel Lyons – Professor, Boston College Law School 4:15pm – Fireside Chat with Senator Scott Wiener Senator Scott Wiener – Senator for Senate District 11, California State Senate Makena Kelly – Senior Writer, WIRED 4:45pm – Wrap Up *BREAKOUT 2* VIEW ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/tN2cbtawlEk 10:30am – Hitting Refresh on Cybersecurity to Address Emerging Technologies Camille Stewart Gloster – CEO and Founder, CAS Strategies, LLC James Lewis – Distinguished Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis Michael Daniel – President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance Rob Knake – CEO, TPO Group Moderator: Shane Tews – President, Logan Circle Strategies 11:30am – Making BEAD a Success To Connect All Americans Nicol Turner Lee – Senior Fellow, Governance Studies and Director, Center for Technology Innovation, The Brookings Institution Lyndsay Moyer – Vice President, State Government Affairs, Comcast Paul Garnett – Founder and CEO, Vernonburg Group Joseph Wender – Executive Director, SHLB Coalition Moderator: Chris Teale – Managing Editor, Route Fifty 2:30pm – Sovereign AI and the New Internet Order: Governing Intelligence Across Borders Kellee Wicker – Vice President of the Center for Technology, Innovation, and Space, Meridian International Center Caitlin Clarke – Senior Director for Cybersecurity Services, Venable LLP Morgan Reed – President, ACT | The App Association Adrian Shahbaz – Vice President, Research and Analysis, Freedom House Moderator: Nancy Scola – Journalist BREAKOUT 3 VIEW ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/mE-CYvOr2as 10:30am – Chatting with Machines: Mental Health, AI Companions, and the New Psychology of Connection Amina Fazlullah – Head of Tech Policy Advocacy, Common Sense Media Amanda Lenhart – Senior Fellow, Joan Ganz Cooney Center Adam Thierer – Senior Fellow, R Street Institute Shae Gardner – Director of Policy and Research, LGBT Tech Moderator: Amrith Ramkumar – Reporter, The Wall Street Journal 11:30am – AI Liability: Who’s Responsible When Machines Act? Tod Cohen – Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Helen Toner – Interim Executive Director, Center for Security and Emerging Technology Neil Chilson – Head of AI Policy, Abundance Institute Aaron Rieke – Senior Partner, Clarion AI Partners Moderator: Miranda Bogen – Director, AI Governance Lab, Center for Democracy & Technology 2:30pm – The New Frontiers of Speech Luke Hogg – Director of Policy and Outreach, Foundation for American Innovation Ashkhen Kazaryan – Senior Legal Fellow, Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University Corbin Barthold – Internet Policy Counsel and Director of Appellate Litigation, TechFreedom Joel Thayer – President, Digital Progress Institute LIGHTNING TALKSLightning Talks will be recorded and available soon <https://www.youtube.com/@sotndc>. -- - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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RECORDING - The Secret Life of Data: Navigating Hype and Uncertainty in the Age of Algorithmic Surveillanceh
by Joly MacFie 06 Feb '26

06 Feb '26

[Now in Algovision!] [image: ISOC LIVE] <https://isoc.live/>VIDEO <https://youtu.be/4LEPv6_JDYY> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/fsi-aram/fsi-aram.mp3> | RECAP <https://www.patreon.com/posts/150074383/> | SLIDES <https://archive.org/download/fsi-aram/fsi-aram_SLIDES.pdf> | ARCHIVE <https://archive.org/details/fsi-aram> | PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/20181> On November 11, 2025, Stanford’s Tech Impact and Policy Center <https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/> (TIP) organized a seminar ‘The Secret Life of Data: Navigating Hype and Uncertainty in the Age of Algorithmic Surveillance <https://fsi.stanford.edu/events/november-11-secret-life-data-navigating-hyp…> ‘. Aram Sinnreich <https://www.linkedin.com/in/aramsinnreich/>, co-author of “The Secret Life of Data <https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262048811/the-secret-life-of-data/>,” explored the unpredictable and often surprising ways in which data surveillance, AI, and algorithms impact our culture and society. PRESENTER Aram Sinnreich – Professor, Communication Studies, American University HOST/MODERATOR Jeff Hancock – Director, Stanford Tech Impact and Policy Center #DataScience #@StanfordTIP #datagovernance - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Call for Papers – IndabaX Nigeria 2026 (AI/ML Research Submissions)
by Ahmed Olanrewaju 06 Feb '26

06 Feb '26

Dear Colleagues, We are delighted to announce the *Call for Papers* for *IndabaX Nigeria 2026*, a local chapter of the Deep Learning Indaba dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and allied research in Nigeria and across Africa. 🔎 Conference Theme *Building Scalable AI that Works: From Research to Deployment in Resource-Constrained Environments* — with an emphasis on efficiency, fairness, and contextual relevance. 📅 Important Dates - *Call for Papers Opens:* February 1, 2026 - *Submission Deadline:* *March 15, 2026* - *Notification of Acceptance:* April 20, 2026 - *Camera-Ready Deadline:* April 30, 2026 - *Conference Dates:* *May 11–14, 2026* (indabaxng.github.io <https://indabaxng.github.io/call-for-papers.html>) 📍 Venue *University of Ibadan, Nigeria* (Hybrid attendance available — in-person & virtual) 📝 Topics of Interest High-quality submissions are invited in areas including, but not limited to: - AI for Health & Biomedical Applications - AI for Social Good & Indigenous Intelligence - Computer Vision & Multimodal AI - Distributed, Federated & Privacy-Preserving AI - Efficient AI & Edge Computing - FAIR Data & Dataset Curation - Machine Learning & Deep Learning - Natural Language Processing & Low-Resource Languages - Responsible and Interpretable AI - Systems & Deployment in Low-Resource Settings 📄 Submission Guidelines - Submissions undergo a *double-blind peer review* process. - Full papers: *8–12 pages*; Short papers: *4–6 pages* (excluding references). - Use the *PMLR/JMLR format* with author names removed for review. - Accepted papers will be published in *Proceedings of Machine Learning Research (PMLR), Volume 319*. 📥 How to Submit Submit your paper via the Microsoft CMT portal listed on the official call page: 📍 https://indabaxng.github.io/call-for-papers.html 🎯 Why Submit? - Showcase your research to leading AI/ML scholars and practitioners - Contribute to Africa-centric AI knowledge and ethical solutions - Engage in an inclusive and collaborative research community - Present your work during the IndabaX Nigeria 2026 program We encourage you to share this call widely within your networks and departments. Warm regards, *The IndabaX Nigeria Organizing Committee* Email: indabaxnigeria(a)gmail.com Website: https://indabaxng.github.io/ (indabaxng.github.io <https://indabaxng.github.io/call-for-papers.html>) -- Ahmed Olanrewaju +234 8077160928 +234 8033027479

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ICCA award call
by Lei Guo 05 Feb '26

05 Feb '26

Hi all, The International Chinese Communication Association (ICCA) invites nominations for the following four awards. - Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award - ICCA Outstanding Service Award - ICCA Lifetime Achievement Award - Best Faculty Article Award Please see the attached document for more information. Best, Lei Guo

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Gender & Tech Talk Series – February 24, 10:00am EST – Digital Transformation
by Jess Reia 05 Feb '26

05 Feb '26

Dear colleagues, The Digital Technology for Democracy Lab is pleased to announce the eighth session of the Gender & Tech Online Talk Series, scheduled for February 24, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). The “Digital Transformation” talk will explore the concept of “digital transformation”: its meanings, purposes, promises, and failures. From infrastructure to community engagement, the speakers will discuss the conflicts between public goods and private interests in the development and deployment of technologies from critical non-Western and Global Majority perspectives. Some of the questions we ask are: How do social inequalities and colonization shape our current framing of digital technologies? What are the main examples of ongoing projects and systems that should be objects of public scrutiny? How is digital transformation changing local communities, participation, and resistance to techno-authoritarianism? What are the best practices when we think of the development and deployment of people-centered digital technologies? We are honoured to welcome two keynote speakers: Jamila Venturini (Derechos Digitales) Madeleine Redfern (CanArctic Inuit Networks). The webinar is free and open to the public. You can register here: https://dtdlab.virginia.edu/event/gender-tech-digital-transformation/ 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 series is sponsored by the UVA DTD Lab. The conversation will be conducted in English, but we can facilitate questions submitted in Spanish, Portuguese and French. We invite everyone interested in advancing equity and justice in tech governance to participate in this important conversation. 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 and Public Policy Faculty co-lead, Digital Technology for Democracy Lab <https://karshinstitute.virginia.edu/digital-technology-democracy-lab>, University of Virginia <https://karshinstitute.virginia.edu/> New book: Urban Music Governance <https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/U/bo245009492.html> <https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/U/bo245009492.html> reia(a)virginia.edu | https://datascience.virginia.edu/

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Twitter-X Access Survey
by Stuart Shulman 05 Feb '26

05 Feb '26

Twitter-X Access Survey https://forms.gle/5HiRzTPXgj5AaDv96 This is a market research survey to determine the current demand for access to historical Twitter and X data. Texifter is considering a relaunch of "SIFTER" to provide custom access for researchers to the full history of public Tweets. Sifter Explained: Search the Complete History of Twitter (circa 2016) https://vimeo.com/126214352 If you would like to see this fee-for-service application return, please complete this two question multiple choice survey to help us better understand the risks and opportunities. We would welcome a discussion about the opportunity in greater detail, so please schedule a meeting if this interests you. https://calendly.com/discovertext In particular, we are looking for 3-4 organizations, or funded research groups, to commit to a data access consortium that would enable us to lower the barriers to access for other individuals and groups running small scale projects. Thanks, ~Stu Dr. Stuart W. Shulman Founder and CEO, Texifter Editor Emeritus, *Journal of Information Technology & Politics* https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stuart-Shulman

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Call for Contributions: SEASON 2026 (Hamburg, 15-17 September 2026)
by Rosie Graham 05 Feb '26

05 Feb '26

Annual Conference of the Search Engines and Society Network (SEASON 2026) Dear colleagues, On behalf of the Search Engines and Society Network (SEASON), we invite submissions for the 2026 edition of the Search Engines and Society Annual Conference (SEASON 2026), to be held at HAW Hamburg, Germany, from 15-17 September 2026. Following the success of SEASON 2025, which brought together an engaged and diverse international community of researchers, practitioners, and students, SEASON continues as a dedicated conference series for critical and interdisciplinary research on search engines and their societal implications. SEASON explores the multifaceted role of search engines in today’s culture and society. The conference fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration to deepen our understanding of search engines as cultural, societal, political, and technical artefacts, as well as their role in everyday practices. We invite submissions for: -Long presentations -Short presentations -Interactive sessions (e.g., panels and workshops) -Posters Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: -Social and cultural aspects of relevance -Epistemic implications of search-engine use -Search engines and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) -Search engines and information disorders (e.g., disinformation, data voids) -AI and changing patterns of search engine use -Search engines and environmental crises -Political economy of search -Accountability and responsibility of search engine providers -Search engine bias and fair search -Ethical and affective dimensions of search -Media and information literacy -Search engines in everyday life and educational settings -Search engines and specific communities -Methods and data collection for search engine research -Comparative and historical studies of web search -Approaches to opening the “black box” of search engine rankings We welcome conceptual and empirical contributions from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, including the humanities, social sciences, and technical disciplines. Interdisciplinary approaches, work in progress, submissions from practitioners, and student contributions are especially encouraged. Submission categories and formats: -Long presentations: Extended abstracts, max. 1000 words (excluding references) -Short presentations: Abstracts, max. 500 words (excluding references) -Interactive sessions: Proposals (60–90 minutes), max. 1000 words (excluding references) -Posters: Abstracts, max. 500 words (excluding references) Submission guidelines: -Submissions must be in PDF format -APA referencing style Please submit via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=season2026<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=season…> Submission deadline: 30 April 2026 Accepted contributions will be made available to conference participants ahead of the event. All accepted abstracts will be freely accessible after the conference. SEASON 2026 Website: https://searchenginesandsociety.net/season-2026/<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://searchenginesandsociety.net/season-2026…> We look forward to your contributions. With best regards, The SEASON 2026 Organizing Team

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