My research sits at the intersection of Criminology and Science and Technology Studies, drawing theory and methods from both. I study how digital infrastructures become sites where power of different kinds is exerted. Using qualitative, computational, and statistical approaches, my research falls into three strands.
The first involves large-scale ethnographic studies of digital infrastructure, such as my research on the Tor network (the subject of a book with MIT Press: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548182/tor/).
The second focuses on how digital technologies and infrastructures become used for crime and resistance, drawing on a mix of ethnographic and AI/'data science' approaches to study large qualitative and quantitative datasets.
The third looks at digital infrastructure and state power, including in-depth studies and evaluations of law enforcement interventions (such as FBI takedowns) and a recent project looking at the use of digital influence campaigns by law enforcement and government to shape the behaviour and culture of the public and achieve preventative policy goals.
I draw on a range of theoretical perspectives in my work, most prominently Stuart Hall's cultural studies scholarship and Susan Leigh Star's approach to studying the social worlds of digital infrastructure.
- Edinburgh
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