
The Secret Life Of Data
From Future Knowledge by Internet Archive & Authors Alliance
April 8, 2026 · 40 min · Episode 26
About this episode
Authors Aram Sinnreich and Jesse Gilbert discuss the hidden infrastructures of data collection and its impact on culture and identity.
In The Secret Life of Data , authors Aram Sinnreich and Jesse Gilbert explore how the information we generate every day—email addresses, phone numbers, browsing habits, even biometric data—circulates through vast digital systems that shape our lives in ways we rarely see. Their book examines the hidden infrastructures of data collection, surveillance, and algorithmic decision-making, revealing how these systems influence culture, power, and identity in a networked world. Internet governance scholar Laura DeNardis speaks with Sinnreich and Gilbert. Grab your copy of The Secret Life of Data : https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262048811/the-secret-life-of-data/ This conversation was recorded on 4/18/2024. Watch the full video recording at: https://archive.org/details/the-secret-life-of-data Check out all of the Future Knowledge episodes at https://archive.org/details/future-knowledge
People in this episode
Guests: Aram Sinnreich, Jesse Gilbert
Topics covered
- data collection
- surveillance
- algorithmic decision-making
- digital systems
- culture
- identity
Keywords
- data
- surveillance
- algorithm
- digital systems
- identity
- culture
- information
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Internet Archive, Authors Alliance, MIT Press
Books & works: The Secret Life of Data
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