Dr. Seeta Peña Gangadharan, a Data & Society advisor, is associate professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics (LSE), where she also serves as deputy head of department (research) and program director for MSc media and communications (governance). She focuses on inclusion, exclusion, and marginalization, as well as questions around democracy, social justice, and technological governance. Peña Gangadharan co-leads two projects: Our Data Bodies, which examines the impact of data collection and data-driven technologies on members of marginalized communities in the United States; and Justice, Equity, and Technology, which explores the impacts of data-driven technologies and infrastructures on European civil society. In addition to community-based conversations, her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, New York Times, and Al Jazeera.
Seeta Peña Gangadharan

All Work
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event
podcast
video
Data & SocietyHow is technology radically changing our lives as citizens and participants in democratic governments? A joint event between Data & Society and Stanford PACS. Read moreJanuary 2021 -
blog post
New AmericaD&S affiliate Seeta Peña Gangadharan writes about defending digital rights of library patrons. If this sounds complicated and scary, that’s because it is. But confronted with this matrix of vulnerabilities, the library—wit... Read on New AmericaMay 2017 -
Academic Article
PLOS Computational BiologyMatthew ZookSolon Barocasdanah boydKate CrawfordEmily F. KellerSeeta Peña GangadharanAlyssa GoodmanRachelle HollanderBarbara A. KoenigJacob MetcalfArvind NarayananAlondra NelsonFrank PasqualeMatthew Zook, D&S affiliate Solon Barocas, D&S founder danah boyd, D&S affiliate Kate Crawford, Emily Keller, D&S affiliate Seeta Peña Gangadharan, Alyssa Goldman, Rachelle Hollander, Barbara A. Koenig, D&S researcher Jacob Met... Read on PLOS Computational BiologyMarch 2017 -
blog post
London School of Economics blogD&S Affiliate Seeta Peña Gangadharan discusses how automated systems have transformed the ways in which our data is processed, analyzed, and used by companies that are not held to account for the potential uses of data that... Read on London School of Economics blogApril 2016 -
op-ed
New York TimesIn this op-ed, Data & Society fellow Seeta Peña Gangadharan addresses the question "Can Crime Be Ethically Predicted?" and argues that bias is inherent in the technical systems used in predictive policing leading to "fundam... Read on New York TimesNovember 2015 -
Longform
SlateIn this article D&S fellow, Seeta Peña Gangadharan takes a closer look at the computerization of library data, noting the heavy dependence of libraries upon third-party systems that mediate the access, storage, and sharing ... Read on SlateNovember 2015 -
Academic Article
New Media & SocietyAbstract: Increasing broadband adoption among members of underserved populations remains a high priority among policymakers, advocates, corporations, and affected communities. But questions about the risks entailed in the flow ... Read on New Media & SocietyNovember 2015 -
Resource
Data & SocietyIn collaboration with New America, the Brooklyn Public Library, Research Action Design, and the Metropolitan New York Library Council, Data & Society launched The Data Privacy Project to equip library staff with the skills ... Read on Data & SocietyAugust 2015 -
podcast
Radio NZ"Seeta Gangadharan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Open Technology Institute in Washington DC [and a D&S fellow]. She discusses the automated systems, known as algorithms, that are replacing human discretion more and mor... Read on Radio NZFebruary 2015 -
Resource
Data & SocietyThis primer addresses the application of big data tools and practices in a criminal justice context, and raises questions about the kinds of data used for analysis and consequences of error, bias, or inaccuracies. Read moreOctober 2014