Abstract
The past decade has witnessed growing awareness of the potential harms of personal computing. This recent development was spurred by a surge of news reports, films, and studies on the unforeseen side-effects of constantly using of networked devices. Alongside these revelations, a growing chorus of activists, journalists, organizers, and scholars of color have turned attention to tech issues of a different kind – those related to the carceral state and border patrol. These efforts have sparked a shift in public consciousness from the experiences of individual tech users to tech’s relation to social divisions. They show how the explosion of network devices not only changes society, but also helps conserve longstanding relations between social groups. This field review highlights some key concepts and discussions on technology, carceral governance, and border patrol. It also shows how these discussions are expanding our understanding of technology and society. It concludes by exploring avenues for these conversations to be brought into transnational dialogue moving forward.