Unlearning Privacy
As societies demand openness, how do we uphold privacy as a right while treating data as a shared good?
This debate focused on the tension between privacy as a fundamental right and data as a public resource, as well as the balance between radical transparency and data protection. These opposing ends of the debate raise critical questions about how information is shared, controlled, and safeguarded in the digital age.
Originally recorded November 7th, 2025
Speakers Featured
Alex Hanna
Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). A sociologist by training, her work centers on the data used in new computational technologies, and the ways in which these data exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality. She also works in the area of social movements, focusing on the dynamics of anti-racist campus protest in the US and Canada. She holds a BS in Computer Science and Mathematics and a BA in Sociology from Purdue University, and an MS and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Hanna is the co-author of The AI Con (Harper, 2025), a book about AI and the hype around it. With Emily M. Bender, she also runs the Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 series, playfully and wickedly tearing apart AI hype for a live audience online on Twitch and her podcast.
Udbhav Tiwari
Udbhav Tiwari is the VP for Strategy and Global Affairs at Signal. Udbhav’s experience in the technology sector spans both global and regional contexts, where he was formerly the Director for Global Product Policy at Mozilla, with prior roles at Google and the Centre for Internet and Society in India. He has testified as an invited expert before the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and been quoted as an expert by CNN, The Guardian, Wired, Financial Times, BBC, and Reuters. Udbhav was previously affiliated with the Carnegie Endowment for Peace and was named to India Today’s “India Tomorrow” list in 2020.
Lauren Hendry Parsons
Lauren Hendry Parsons is making Mozilla Foundation's impact resonate on a global scale. A seasoned advocate for digital rights and media spokesperson, she is passionate about making complex issues accessible.
Lauren has a track record of driving public narratives and sparking action with individuals, communities and governments. She brings over 15 years of experience working in technology, policy, and culture. Previously, she was global communications and advocacy at ExpressVPN, chaired the VPN Trust Initiative, and served on the board of the Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2coalition).