A Letter from
the Editor

The time we live in goes by many names.

“The Age of AI.” “The Post-Information Age.” “The Post-Human Age.” “The Age of Deepfakes and Disinformation.” “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.”

The multitude of labels and the frequency at which new identifiers are introduced reveals important phenomena: how rapidly tech developments are being introduced and how quickly and unpredictably they affect the data landscape, how stark power imbalances have become between those who control the tech and those who consume it, and how divided our society has become. Alarmingly, the names we give to our time seem all too eager to leave the human behind. They are pessimistic—prioritizing the machine above the person, resting power with corporations over users, and emphasizing division instead of consensus.

The Fall 2023 semester has proven to be a pivotal chapter in this narrative, marked by a cascade of exciting and, at times, disconcerting developments that have reshaped the contours of how we perceive, utilize, and regulate data. TikTok's decision to open a data center in Europe to calm regulators and Meta's introduction of a subscription fee for an ad-free experience reflect the ongoing global debate on data sovereignty and the monetization of user information. Concurrently, Meta's introduction of celebrity AI chatbots raises questions about the boundaries of AI-driven interactions. These and many other current events inform this collection of articles and underscore the urgency of our exploration.

On a more positive note, the largest antitrust trial in history against Google and the case against Meta for its negligent practices regarding teens and children indicate that regulation of tech giants may finally have arrived. The astronomic speed at which AI is evolving in a regulatory wasteland should caution our optimism. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past with more dire effects, we insist upon the urgent need for rules around the ethics, transparency and application of AI.

As editor, I want to emphasize the imperative need for heightened transparency in data practices across the board. The staggering profits accrued by firms through the sale or manipulation of user data, and state entities amassing vast troves of information through opaque practices for equally opaque purposes underscore that knowledge is indeed power. A future marked by enhanced digital awareness among users is essential. I fervently believe that it is only through comprehensive knowledge of how a system operates that one can improve upon it: knowledge is also agency. This agency is ever the more urgent at a time where the convenience and ease-of-use of AI threatens to increase the passivity and outsourcing of intelligence of users.

Together we are proud to publish the works of 14 authors from Professor David Carroll’s “Dark Data” course, taught at Parsons School of Design, The New School. Their diverse perspectives have resulted in a collection that spans academic articles, poems, case studies, web designs, and personal experiments, providing a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted realm of dark data.

Each article is a deep dive into some of the topics we have explored this semester, including data collection and tracking, surveillance, digital power imbalances and the rise of artificial intelligence. The pieces scrutinize the intricate relationships between these themes, shedding light on the profound impact they have on privacy, security, and the ethical considerations surrounding data practices.

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Anne-Isabelle de Bokay (Leo),
MFA Design & Technology 2024