“Party like it’s December 31, 1983”: Supporting Data Literacy at CryptoParties

Abstract

AbstractThe field of critical data studies has been deconstructing datafication, pointing out privacy risks in online communication, and criticising the surveillance and the exploitation of internet users. Research on civic tech and data activism seeks to analyse the ways in which different actors face the challenges posed by datafication and try to empower people to make informed decisions about their data.Data literacy becomes a crucial competence today as citizens face the challenges of living in datafied societies. Through a discussion of different concepts of literacy, the chapter characterises data literacy along four specific criteria: (1) citizens possess knowledge of datafication, the ambivalences and challenges they are forced to confront, (2) people have access to their personal data, and (3) they have the skills which are required to engage with data’s specific materiality.The definition of data literacy that is used here was developed in a study presented in this chapter that analysed the ways in which actors encourage and support data literacy at CryptoParties. CryptoParties are events where people meet to share knowledge and learn about critical data practices that allow secure online communication. As the study demonstrates, the diverse group of people who organise these events aim to enable and develop laypersons’ data literacy in an increasingly datafied world.In its discussion about CryptoParties, this chapter contributes to the research field of critical data studies on a general level, but more specifically, its focus is data literacy to demonstrate the ways in which civil society initiatives critically reflect on datafication and the complex risks to privacy posed by online communication.