Far from being a purely immaterial entity, the Internet is an
extremely complex physical structure composed by a massive number
of actors that have a direct and deep impact in every aspect of
our daily lives. Despite its crucial role in many aspects of our
society, the material and computational architectures that allow
the Internet to exist are widely ignored by most of its users.
Thus, this research project seeks to critically reveal and
analyze the complex network of material and immaterial agents
that come together to configure the Internet, from submarine and
underground cables to interfaces, to surveillance, social
profiling and privacy along with their environmental
implications. The investigation strongly focuses on uncovering
and analyzing the ambiguous relationship between networks, data,
politics, economics, power and nature in the age of algorithmic
governance. To achieve this purpose, we are developing and
testing several experimental methodologies and critical
pedagogical strategies to deeply analyze and deconstruct the
physical pathways of information and the way governmental
agencies and corporations take over networks and algorithms in
order to surveil, profile and control millions of citizens on a
daily basis.
The research line Interface Politics includes projects reflecting
about the interaction between humans and machines and about the
political, social and economical models attached to the
technologies that make possible this relation. If the design of a
device brings up the theory about the user and his
performativity, then identifying some of the factors which cause
the theory is one of the ways to identify the tactics and
techniques of the design and explore the drive of its operating
system. In this sense the research projects are related with
territories of action and research on interfaces from different
approaches, experiences and practices coming from design,
politics, philosophy, art, activism and communication studies.
As part of the research developed during his residency (Nov & Dec
2016) at Hangar, Vladan Joeler
(
Share Lab)
in collaboration with
Critical Interface Politics Research Group
(Joana Moll & Matteo Zappa) has designed a series of maps
that show some of the complex structures of the Internet.
Main topics covered in this research project: #Internet Physicality;
#Geopolitics of the Internet; #Algorithmic Governance;
#Interface Politics; #Internet Backbone; #Data flows & Sustainability;
#Cognitive Capitalism; #Social Engineering; #Surveillance;
#Online Tracking; #Data Commodification; #Data Privacy.
Three Maps:
Map A: Tracerouting Top 100 Domains
Map B: Mapping ISP: Guifi.net
Map C: Mapping Mobile Phone Permissions
Far from being a purely immaterial entity, the Internet is an
extremely complex structure composed by a massive number of
actors that have a direct and deep impact in every aspect of our
daily lives. In order to create a wider picture of the data flow
and map key locations and actors we conducted analysis of the
data paths to the top 100 websites visited by the users located
in Spain. Every dot on this map represents one IP address (router
or other network device) and the lines between the dots are the
links – cables that connect them.
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First step of understanding network infrastructure is to
understand the structure of our nearest network, the network run
and owned by our Internet Service Provider (ISP). During our research
we had the luck to explore and map one of the World’s biggest
bottom-up, citizen-driven, free, open and neutral
telecommunications network:
guifi.net.
This unique network, based
mostly in Catalonia consist of more than 32,500 operating nodes.
This map is the network graph of guifi.net, where each dot
represents one router, server of a computer and each line
represents a link, a wireless or a cable that connects them.
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The output of this research is a logical map of permissions that
applications for smartphones require the users to grant in the
process of installation. The purpose thereof is to show, in a
clear way, what users agree to. Users often neglect the importance
of the Terms of Service, Privacy Policies and other legal
documents they are bound to by installing applications on their
devices. On the other hand, the companies that sell/offer those
applications for free often make these documents in a way that
the user grants many more permissions than the required minimum
for the application to operate. Personal data of many formats
(mostly content and metadata) has become a new type of currency.
It is estimated that the accumulated financial value of personal
data stored online could reach €1tn annually by 2020.
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