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I am honored to have received the UACES scholarship to support my fieldwork in Brussels. As a doctoral candidate at KCL, my research focuses on how tech companies contest securitization processes after being labelled as national security threats. Exploring tech companies’ contestation of these security claims aims to ask a bigger question of how tech companies can shape public discourses on what cybersecurity is and embed these discourses through institutional practices and material objects, including industrial standards and regulations. It was a privilege to conduct a research trip to Brussels with the generous support of the UACES PhD Field Scholarships, without which I could not have been able to collect data in person.

This scholarship has supported my two-week stay in Brussels. The award was spent on return flights to Brussels and accommodation fees. This fieldwork trip forms an integral part of my PhD research, as it allowed me to participate in an in-person forum hosted by my researched tech company in Brussels. Moreover, I was affiliated as a visiting doctoral student at Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). During my visiting scholarship, I presented my research and discussion with the LSTS community, which enriched my thinking.

 

Ethnography, networking, and unlock other opportunities

During my two-week stay in Brussels, I took part in marketing events hosted by tech companies. This in-person fieldwork trip enables me to conduct participant observation and connect with potential interviewees for arranging future interviews. Without this scholarship, I would not have been able to spend sufficient time in Brussels to collect data. Taking this fieldwork trip is beyond switching the interviewing mode from online to offline. It means that I could obtain data that is not publicly available in London and get insights from the field by being immersed in industry knowledge. The event participation and discussion with the forum participants allowed me to gain insights into how tech companies comply with industrial standards and regulations. The operation and governance of technology is like a black box, which is not well-known to the public because of business secrecy and complex technical design. It is still impossible to figure out every detail of how the system operates, even though I have participated in some events hosted by the companies. However, this fieldwork trip has allowed me to be exposed to industrial knowledge relevant to my research. I am now in the write-up period of my PhD research. I further realize how the support of this scholarship has enriched my empirical analysis and helped me to strengthen my argument. One particular highlight is that I encountered another industrial event participation opportunity when I analyzed the fieldwork notes. As a result, I was awarded a scholarship to participate in another cybersecurity industry event.

In addition to conducting ethnographic research, I was affiliated with the LSTS Research Group of VUB, where I could present my work, conduct data analysis, and write up my research. During my visiting scholarship, I was supervised by Professor Rocco Bellanova. We had two supervision meetings discussing my drafts, which were helpful for me to crystallize my thinking and restructure my empirical analysis. I was kindly offered the opportunity to present my work at the LSTS doctoral seminar and participate in the LSTS Annual Research Day. It is a precious learning opportunity for me to present my work-in-progress and have discussions with scholars conducting interdisciplinary research on similar research topics. Not only can I receive valuable feedback, but I can also reflect on how my research can engage with scholarship from other disciplines on similar research topics. Although my stay at LSTS was limited, I was fortunate to meet a supportive community there, with whom I keep in touch by meeting at conferences and having online discussions.

 

Understanding the broader context of the research

On my way home, I felt so fulfilled. The support of the UACES scholarship made it possible for me to stay longer in Brussels. This allowed me to contextualize my research topic by immersing myself in the hub of drafting EU digital regulations. When I now read literature on EU digital sovereignty or the Brussels Effect, it feels so resonant. The resonances prompted me to reflect more deeply on how digital technology is framed to legitimize the ways it should be governed. Such framings not only influenced the process of regulation-making but also reshape our socio-political everyday life —for example, through urban design practices that may become aligned with these framings. I am grateful for the generous support of the UACES PhD fieldwork scholarship. This scholarship undoubtedly supported my doctoral research and future academic development.

The post A UACES-funded fieldwork trip exploring big tech companies’ roles in translating what cybersecurity is appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

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