AI, Big Data, and surveillance zines as forms of community healthcare

Abstract

This article analyzes the zines, handbooks, and pamphlets on AI, Big Data, and surveillance published in the United States between 2009 and 2020 that aim to democratize knowledge on technologies. The main texts chosen for this article are A People’s Guide To AI: A beginner’s guide to understanding AI (2018), Digital Defense Playbook/Cuaderno De Juegos De Defensa Digital (2018), Oh! The Places Your Data Will Go (2019), The People’s Field Guide to Spotting Surveillance Infrastructure (2019) and the Coveillance Toolkits (2021), the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition’s zines (2020); and the five zines produced by the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition since 2009. These publications are part of a longer history of feminist activists printing zines, booklets, and pamphlets to make scientific knowledge more accessible. In particular, these publications build on the traditional use of zines and handbooks by feminist and health advocacy organizations such as the Boston Women’s Health Collective and ACT UP in the United States. In addition to following in their suit of explaining technical information by using clear language and providing definitions and resources, these publications on AI, Big Data, and Surveillance are themselves a form of health literacy.