← People

Helen Nissenbaum

philosopher · 3 mentions across 3 readings

In this course

Helen Nissenbaum is a privacy theorist and computer scientist known for developing TrackMeNot (2006), a tool that conceals search behavior by injecting artificial queries into genuine user activity—a foundational example of obfuscation as a privacy strategy. Her work, particularly *Obfuscation: A User's Guide for Privacy and Protest* (co-authored with Finn Brunton), theorizes resistance through noise and misdirection rather than encryption, positioning her central to the course's exploration of how art and software tactics intervene in surveillance infrastructures. In this seminar's framing of digital activism and cybernetic systems, Nissenbaum anchors the argument that privacy and protest can operate through signal pollution rather than secrecy.

Mentioned in 3 readings

Appears alongside

People mentioned in the same passages — sorted by co-occurrence weight.

Pandaemonium Architecture 6.0 — ATEK-639/439 — Fall 2025