PROJECT SUMMARY

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Political Economy of Sex Tech

Focus Area: News & Media
Research Programs: Data, Institutions
Status: Active

Smart sex technologies and networked apps are being used in sex and relationship education, to enhance sexual wellness and to improve sexual and reproductive health. To do so, they collect and process substantial amounts of intimate data. This project examines the political economy of ‘sex tech’ in order to identify how sexual technologies are being governed at scale, how sexual data is being collected, stored, shared and monetised, and how the material benefits of sex tech may be more equitably distributed.

It will provide empirical grounding to enrich scholarship on ethical data governance, predictive profiling and accountability of smart technologies.

PUBLICATIONS

Sex tech in an age of surveillance capitalism: Design, Data and Governance, 2024

Stardust, Z.

Book chapter

Sex tech entrepreneurs: Governing intimate data in start-up culture, 2023

Stardust, Z., Kennedy, J., Albury, K

Journal article

Surveillance does not equal safety: Police, data and consent on dating apps, 2022

Stardust, Z., Gillett, R., Albury, K.

Journal article

Public interest sex tech hackathon: speculative futures and participatory design, 2022

Stardust, Z., Kennedy, J., Albury, K.

Report

RESEARCHERS

Zahra Stardust profile picture

Dr Zahra Stardust

Lead Investigator,
QUT

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ADM+S Chief Investigator Nic Suzor

Prof Nicolas Suzor

Chief Investigator,
QUT

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