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SUMMARY:Influence Policing: Mapping the Rise of Strategic Communications a
 nd Digital Behaviour Change within UK Law Enforcement and Security Service
 s - Ben Collier\, University Of Edinburgh
DTSTART:20230131T160000Z
DTEND:20230131T170000Z
UID:TALK196690@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Kieron Ivy Turk
DESCRIPTION:In this talk\, I set out an emerging phenomenon in UK law enfo
 rcement - the use of digital ‘nudge’ communications campaigns to achie
 ve strategic policing and security goals. Over the last year\, we have stu
 died the use of these campaigns by a single force - Police Scotland - in d
 epth\, drawing on empirical research conducted with their dedicated strate
 gic communications team. These campaigns\, which involve extremely targete
 d digital communications designed to directly ‘nudge’ behaviour and sh
 ape the culture of particular groups\, began in counter-radicalisation as 
 part of the UK’s Prevent programme\, but have since moved into a range o
 f other policing areas\, from hate crime and domestic violence to knife cr
 ime and cybercrime. I set out the historical context of these campaigns in
  the UK\, from their roots in social marketing\, through the various itera
 tions of the Prevent strategy\, the rise of algorithmic digital marketing 
 infrastructures and surveillance capitalist platforms\, and their subseque
 nt transfer from counter-terror policing to a range of other areas. Our st
 udy explores the developing institutional and professional arrangements ar
 ound these campaigns in Police Scotland and the wider UK through interview
 s and document-based research\, drawing on case studies of campaigns acros
 s a range of areas. Taking these together\, we theorise the rise of influe
 nce policing as an embryonic but rapidly emerging domain of police practic
 e\, and discuss the ethical\, institutional\, and democratic implications 
 for the future of law enforcement in the UK.\n\nBen Collier is Lecturer in
  Digital Methods at the Institute of Science\, Technology\, and Innovation
  Studies at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on digital i
 nfrastructure as a site of power and resistance\, including mixed-methods 
 studies of cybercrime communities\, law enforcement engagements with Inter
 net infrastructure\, and an upcoming book with MIT Press which maps a cult
 ural history of the Tor anonymity network.
LOCATION:Webinar - link on talks.cam page after 12 noon Tuesday
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