Short presentation on how to use short documentaries on privacy and surveillance to increase awareness among patrons and spark conversations on controversial technologies and practices. For Choose Privacy Week 2013 webinar.

1. Privacy Awareness & Conversation 
through Films
Choose Privacy Week 2013
Michael Zimmer, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies
Director, Center for Information Policy Research
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
www.MichaelZimmer.org

2. Caveat
 I’m not a lawyer, and I’m definitely not your lawyer
 Check your policies and legal guidance regarding
copyright and screening of films for public performance
 Some resources:
 ALA Video & Copyright
 http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet0
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 Movie Licensing USA: Public Libraries
 http://www.movlic.com/library/faq.html
 Films for the Humanities and Social Sciences
 http://ffh.films.com
Michael Zimmer | CPW Webinar | April 9, 2013

3. Why Use Films?
 You’ll get more people to come to a screening than
to a lecture (even if you sneak a mini-lecture in)
 Documentaries are more likely to have multiple
views and perspectives, to help spark dialogue
 Patrons are more likely to challenge or critique
something presented on film, rather than to a live
person delivering a presentation
 Even if fictionalized or overly-dramatic, film stories
help make privacy and surveillance threats real
Michael Zimmer | CPW Webinar | April 9, 2013

4. Strategies for Using Films
 Feature the film, but make time for a “conversation” or
“debate” after
 Ask local teachers, advocates, lawyers, parents to sit on a panel
to give their reactions
 If working with youth, provide a worksheet with 4-5 key
issues or controversies for them to identify while
watching
 Ask students to argue a devil’s advocate position; create a mock
debate
 Create lists of “good” vs. “bad” aspects of what was in the
film, then push them to recognize how these issues are rarely
that simple
Michael Zimmer | CPW Webinar | April 9, 2013

5. Popular Feature Films
 Eagle Eye (2008)
 Cellphone tracking
 Surveillance cameras
 Dangers of artificial intelligence
 2-disc bonus commentary
 Enemy of the State (1998)
 Satellite and device tracking
 Government intelligence gathering
Michael Zimmer | CPW Webinar | April 9, 2013

6. Classic / Independent Films
 The Lives of Others (2006)
 Surveillance practices of 1980s
East Germany
 Psychological and political impact
of surveillance
 The Conversation (1974)
 Classic glimpse into surveillance
industry
 Problems of incomplete or
misinterpreted data
Michael Zimmer | CPW Webinar | April 9, 2013

7. Documentary Films
 Big Brother Big Business (2009)
 CNBC production on rise of
commercial surveillance industry
 Driving habits, employee
monitoring, shopping data, online
activities, etc.
 Science of Surveillance (2006)
 National Geographic production
 Overview of numerous
surveillance technologies, and
potential abuses
Michael Zimmer | CPW Webinar | April 9, 2013