Hosted by Dept. of of Communication, with faculty co-hosts Professor danah boyd and Associate Professor Brooke Erin Duffy

Author-activist Cory Doctorow has spent much of his career exploring the intersection of communication power, policy, and practice. He has been writing about the tech industry for more than two decades–as a blogger, journalist, and award-winning science fiction writer. He continues to edit Pluralistic.net, a daily newsletter that remains advertising- and surveillance-free. 

Through his writing, Doctorow has educated policy-makers and inspired the public to think critically about technology problems and interventions. His best-selling young adult novel Little Brother, for instance, offered a scathing critique of surveillance while inviting readers to consider strategies of resistance. His upcoming non-fiction book – Enshittification – provides an accessible framework for understanding some of the most complex issues in contemporary tech policy. These issues have taken on a heightened sense of urgency as we consider mounting harms to our civil liberties. 

During his visit to the Department of Communication, Doctorow will be in conversation with Professors danah boyd and Brooke Erin Duffy, who will ask him to share his journey and insight about the entanglements of communication, policy, and practice. The conversation will start off with topics like AI, influencers, copyright, and anti-trust, but attendees are invited to come with their own questions. 

This event is part of an A.D. White Professors-at-Large visit and is cosponsored by the Dept. of Communication, Dept. of HIstory, and Dept. of Science & Technology Studies. Doctorow visits both the Ithaca (Sept. 12-18) and Cornell Tech (Sept. 19) campuses in fall 2025 as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large.

Portrait by Jonathan Worth (jonathanworth.com)