Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA timely engagement with debates on the extraction, commodification and protection of data amidst sharpening US -- China tech relations. This volume, given its accessible writing style, might be of interest to students of data governance, communication industries and international relations. * Chenhao Ye, The China Quarterly *
In Trafficking Data, Kokas walks us through the most recent trade-offs, Faustian bargains, and back door dealings that Silicon Valley firms use to do business in the People's Republic of China. Only by empowering consumers and holding technology affirms accountable, Kokas argues, can we stifle the international trafficking of our data. * Philip N. Howard, Director, University of Oxford's Programme on Democracy and Technology *
China's digital platforms are well known, but Aynne Kokas is the first to study systematically the interactions between the digital products of US techno-liberalism and China's state-directed social order. Trafficking Data breaks new ground in the study of geopolitics and national sovereignty. Given our dependence on platforms and systems fuelled by Chinese AI, Kokas' account of China's expanding networked sovereignty in sectors from agriculture to urban design is essential reading for anyone concerned to bring the digital world back under democratic influence. * Nick Couldry, co-author of The Costs of Connection *
Aynne Kokas masterfully guides readers through the complex intersection between widespread data gathering, government policy, and corporate practice, illuminating the deeply troubling consequences for both national security and everyday consumers. This book is a necessary and timely resource for researchers, activists, governments, and anyone who cares about the future of democracy and a rules-based order. * Shanthi Kalathil, co-author of Open Networks, Closed Regimes, and former Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights, U.S. National Security Council *
Aynne Kokas' Trafficking Data is a powerful warning of the risks of the enmeshment of the American and Chinese consumer data systems. It is a clear reminder that addressing the rising digital threats from China first requires getting the U.S house in order. * Adam Segal, Director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations *
Table of ContentsAcronyms Acknowledgments Preface 1. The Data Trafficking Dilemma 2. What Happens in Vegas Stays in China: The Limits of US Tech Oversight 3. Becoming a Cyber Sovereign: Chinaâs Politics of Data Governance 4. From Farms to Outer Space: How China Networks Sovereignty in the United States 5. Social Media: The Algorithm as National Security Asset 6. Gaming: The Porous Boundaries of Virtual Worlds 7. Money: The Risks of Data Trafficking for China 8. Health: Surveilling Borderless Biodata 9. Home: Data Through the Back Door 10. Toward Data Stabilization Epilogue English- Pinyin- Chinese Glossary Notes References Index
