Abstract

This paper examines the Biden Administration’s Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) within the political, social, and policy context of extraction on the continent. Historically, the continent has repeatedly suffered from colonial exploitation of its mineral resources. The DTA has formed the Digital Policy Council to oversee $800 million worth of investments in an effort to digitize Africa. This initiative introduces a series of tradeoffs: infrastructure development and the modernization of services on the one hand; and, on the other, a host of privacy concerns. This paper reflects on this tradeoff from the perspective of Africa’s colonial history of extraction.

Presenters

Michael Thate
Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Keller Center for Innovation, Faith and Work Initiative, Princeton University, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Histories of Technology

KEYWORDS

Extraction, Africa, Colonial History, Data Privacy

Digital Media

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