Matt Goerzen is a researcher at Data & Society, where he’s establishing a cohesive framework for discussing media vulnerabilities by importing terms-of-craft from computer security research. In 2016 he received an MA in Communications Studies, after a course of study with anthropologist Gabriella Coleman at McGill University. His thesis, “Critical Trolling,” advances a politically-neutral definition of trolling, before tracing the involved techniques back from early-internet gray hat hacking communities through to the pre-internet artistic avant-garde. Ultimately, it examines an emerging class of contemporary artist trolls who function in a decidedly liberal, “critical” mode, and differentiates them from the subcultural trolls common to communities like 4chan. Goerzen received a BFA from Concordia University and a BJ (Bachelor of Journalism) from Carleton University.
Matt Goerzen

Matt Goerzen researches disinformation, sociotechnical vulnerabilities, and emergent security practices.
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Logic MagazineHackers helped invent the field of computer security. Their ideas can help us revamp it for a new era. Read on Logic MagazineMay 2020 -
Academic Article
UsenixMatt Goerzen, Elizabeth Watkins, and Gabrielle Lim propose the new framework, "sociotechnical security." Read on UsenixAugust 2019 -
Academic Article
FATESMatt Goerzen and Jeanna Matthews connect the practices of trolling and hacking. Read on FATESDecember 2018