This session will form a roundtable discussion reflecting on the digital ethnography of censorship practices.

Shireen Walton will facilitate a roundtable discussion reflecting on the digital ethnography of censorship practices. The participants will draw on their current research in regions as varied as Iran, China, and Japan. Questions to be asked include: How does one study the lived experience of a phenomenon which is typically experienced only negatively, as the absence of information? How does one conduct digital ethnography on a subject which is itself often a subject of censorship? What are the ethical implications of conducting research into a topic which can be politically sensitive, participation in which could potentially put informants/research subjects at risk? What is the relationship between censorship and surveillance, and what is the role of surveillance in engendering self-censorship?