Cynthia Yee Ting Ng
Cynthia Yee Ting Ng
Research Interests: critical cyber security, politics of cryptography, privacy theories, controversy analysis, science and technology studies
Supervisors: Dr. Matt SpencerLink opens in a new window and Prof. Noortje MarresLink opens in a new window
Thesis Working Title: Digital Security Controversy Analysis: The Unsettled Disputes Over Encrypted Communications
Research Topic:
My research examines the contemporary debate on privacy and surveillance in view of the increasing adoption of encryption technologies in commodity messaging services. Drawing on the methodological strength of ANT-informed controversy analysis (Callon, 1986; Latour, 1987; Marres, 2015; Venturini and Munk, 2021) and building upon the material turn of securitization theory (Aradau, 2010; Aradau et al., 2015; Huysmans, 2006, 2011), I explore the meanings of trust and security in the context of a democratic society. This project combines issue mapping with ethnographic methods to investigate the contestations over framings of trust and logics of security. Seeking to contribute to the significance of controversy over digital technological systems at the intersection of science and technology studies and security studies, the project will eventually present the interplay among society, technology and policy entangled with the debate on privacy and surveillance in the development of secure online communications.
Background:
I have an interdisciplinary academic background in social science, computer science and technology management. I hold a Master of Arts in Science and Technology Studies from the Technical University of Munich. During my postgraduate studies in Germany, I was a research assistant at the Digital Media Lab, Munich Centre for Technology in Society. Prior to that, I studied technology management and obtained my dual degree in computer science and business management, with a minor in social science, from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
In addition to my academic background, I have worked as a cyber security professional with substantial credentials in the industry:
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP by (ISC)2)
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA by ISACA)
Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE by ISACA)
Grants:
Chancellor’s International Scholarship by the University of Warwick Doctoral College for 3.5 years of full-time study.
Publications:
Ng, C. (2024). Digital Security Controversy Analysis: A Case Study of the Debate over GCHQ Exceptional Access Proposal. In: Bieker, F., de Conca, S., Gruschka, N., Jensen, M., Schiering, I. (eds) Privacy and Identity Management. Sharing in a Digital World. Privacy and Identity 2023. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 695. Springer, Cham.
Contact
Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
Email: Cynthia.Ng@warwick.ac.uk