IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Winter 2014 - 43

All that these ideas really require is mutual respect
and confidence in future business and cooperation.
Of course surveillance/data manipulation is one of
the greatest potential human rights abuses. Those of us
in the legal/tech community all recognize the dangers,
but human society progresses with understanding and
knowledge and harnessing data as a force for good (if
ethically and carefully handled) can facilitate communication and understanding and enhance rights in
developed and underdeveloped countries. Taking the
opportunity to use data to combat human rights abuses
is a positive that ought to be embraced.
Ideas and practices developed in cosmopolitan centers, such as at the United Nations, necessarily require
translation into terms appropriate to the local context
[6]. This is achieved by a combination of collective
responsibility afforded to stakeholders networking
together, and Government action plans which involve
active collaboration with civil organizations and communities [7]. Human rights abuses occur in three contexts: past abuse, ongoing abuse, and abuse to come.
Human history is understood through security, economy, health, education, and culture. These are terms
that scientists can also understand. It is time for some
big thinking to be done on big data - whether it is dropping pedometers from drones to monitor the movement
of individuals, or whether it is harnessing social media
to raise an issue or provide a vital and lifesaving service.

COMMENTARY

As I imagine Tess McGill might say if human rights
lawyers turned up to a party for geeks... they might
just be in the right place at the right time. Now all we
have to do is find the guy with the money in the lift.

Author Information
Felicity Gerry, QC, is at 36 Bedford Row, London,
U.K., and with Charles Darwin University, Australia.
Email: Felicity.Gerry@cdu.edu.au.

References
[1] United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, "Conducting research, data collection and analysis,"
endvawnow.org, 2012; http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/322conducting-research-data-collection-and-analysis-.html.
[2] S. Marsh, "How should councils use data? - Debate," The Guardian [online], Feb. 28, 2014; http://www.theguardian.com/localgovernment-network/2014/feb/27/how-should-councils-use-data-livedebate?CMP=twt_gu.
[3] J. Gabrys, "The Citizen Sense Project," citizensense.net, 2014;
http://www.citizensense.net/about/.
[4] B. Fung, "How stores use your phone's wi-fi to track your shopping habits," The Washington Post [online], Oct. 19, 2013; http://www.
washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/19/how-stores-useyour-phones-wifi-to-track-your-shopping-habits.
[5] University of Wollongong, Map Jakarta (PETAJAKARTA) Project,
2014; http://smart.uow.edu.au/projects/UOW164497.html.
[6] P. Levitt and S.E. Merry, "Unpacking the vernacularization process:
The transnational circulation of women's human rights," 2012; http://
citation.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/3/1/0/9/2/
pages310922/p310922-1.php
[7] J. Yogaratnum, "A review of the 2010 Domestic Violence Law in
Timor-Leste," Asian J. Comparative Law, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-26. 2013.

(continued from page 38)

Chelsea Manning. Still, living in Russia-an authoritarian state, where free speech is precarious-is hardly
paradise. Snowden is paying a huge price for his courageous actions. He knew he would, and he remains
committed to his beliefs.
Whistleblowers seldom appreciate the venom with
which their disclosures will be received. It is hard to
grasp that your career might be destroyed, and perhaps also your finances, health and relationships. It is
best to be prepared for the worst, just in case. Being
prepared often makes the difference between collapsing under the strain and surviving or even thriving in
new circumstances.

invincible: its crimes can be exposed. He showed that
careful preparation and wise choices can maximize the
impact of disclosures. He stood up in the face of the
U.S. government, and continued unbowed. Although
few whistleblowers will ever have an opportunity like
Snowden, or take risks like he did, there is much to
learn from his experiences.

Audience for Reprisals

References

Reprisals are only partly directed at the whistleblower.
The more important audience is other employees, who
receive the message that speaking out leads to disastrous consequences.
Snowden has provided a different, somewhat more
optimistic message. He showed that the NSA is not
IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

WINTER 2014

Author Information
Brian Martin is professor in the School of Humanities
and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, NSW
2522, Australia, and vice president of Whistleblowers
Australia. Email: bmartin@uow.edu.au.
[1] G. Greenwald, No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and
the Surveillance State. London, U.K.: Hamish Hamilton, 2014.
[2] M. Gurnow, The Edward Snowden Affair: Exposing the Politics and
Media Behind the NSA Scandal. Indianapolis, IN: Blue River Press, 2014.
[3] L. Harding, The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's
Most Wanted Man. London, U.K.: Guardian Books, 2014.
[4] B. Martin, Whistleblowing: A Practical Guide. Sparsnäs, Sweden:
Irene Publishing, 2014.

http://www.endvawnow.org http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/322 http://www.theguardian.com/local http://www.citizensense.net http://www.citizensense.net/about/ http://www http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/19/how-stores-use http://smart.uow.edu.au/projects/UOW164497.html http://http:// http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Winter 2014