Communities & Technologies 2015 was a great experience! A heartfelt thank you to everybody who attended – without you, it couldn’t have happened!
Thank you to all the members of the Programme Committee who worked hard to select the best papers and the best practitioners’ accounts for the conference!
Thank you to the workshop organisers for six very intense and very interesting workshops!

As promised, we have made available Anita Gurumurthy’s keynote and Michael Gurstein’s keynote on this website.

We created a Scoop.it site for collecting all the links and pointers that were shared during the conference. Send us suggestions about what else should be added there!

The 2017 edition will be hosted by the Troyes University of Technology in Troyes, France.

The workshops on the 27 and 28 June and the Doctoral Consortium on the 28 June 2015 will take place in ERB. The name of the building is Engineering Research Building, and both the door at the ground level and the one on the upper courtyard level will be open. There will be a burgundy sign by the building with the name of our conference on it at both levels.

The building is visible in this street view, and the entrance is at the end of the foot path on the right.

Access to the ER Building from the Living Bridge (for those who stay in Capavilla Student Village) is possible from the upper level- the entrance is on the right :

On Sunday evening, the Welcome Reception will take place in the Plassey House, at 6pm.

On Monday & Tuesday, we will be in the CSIS Building for the conference:
Coming from the city (and Castletroy Park)

Coming from Capavilla:

and closer:

The Monday evening banquet is scheduled for 7pm at the Stables.

Data, profiling and communities – Invited C&T workshop offered by 
the Tactical Technology Collective

Date: June 27, 2015 (Saturday)
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Venue: Engineering Research Building – ERB007 (see map)

Workshop facilitator: Fieke Jansen, Project Lead Politics of Data, Tactical Tech.

About the workshop:

For this workshop we will look at the impact of technologies on communities. Technologies harness a lot of potential for amplifying the work of communities, in both engagement, activism and organizing.
However, technologies have also brought about new challenges to different communities. In this workshop we will specifically want to explore what challenges surrounding data, profiling and communities. Here we want to focus on the abilities and limits of communities to control data that is collected, aggregated and used about them by companies and governments. In the workshop we will explore the digital traces of communities, the workings of the data industry and how this impacts communities. The workshop will be a collaborative and hands on space in which we practically come and understand issue around data and share knowledge and experiences.

About the Tactical Technology Collective:
Tactical Tech is a non-profit organisation, working since 2003 to advance the use of information and digital technologies by advocates and activists worldwide.

Based in Berlin, they work with an international network of partners and collaborators to help rights, accountability and transparency advocates and the communities they work with to use information and digital technologies effectively in their work.
Tactical Tech have three focal areas: understanding & shaping issues; digital security and privacy; and data politics. We work to raise awareness, build practical skills and offer both critical reflection and inspiration in all of these areas.

Through trainings and workshops they provide direct support to over 2000 advocates a year, either through intensive training in small groups, or through ‘flash trainings’ or clinics at large-scale gatherings and conferences.
Over the years they have produced a range of toolkits, guides, online resources and films. Check their website for more information!

Registration fee: 15 eur (includes coffee breaks and lunch)
Register here via Eventbrite .

Submission is now open for the work-in-progress track: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ct2015wip
Deadline: 1 May 2015

We would like to remind you that work-in-progress papers must be no longer than four pages, and you will have to use the ACM recommended templates.
The papers will undergo a double blind peer review process by an international panel and will be evaluated on the basis of their significance, innovation, academic rigour, and clarity of writing.
Accepted work-in-progress papers will be published in the adjunct proceedings, and at least one of the authors will have to register and attend the conference.

Today, we received the confirmation that ACM “will be glad to publish the proceedings of C&T 2015 in the ACM Digital Library within its International Conference Proceedings Series”.

The volume has already received an  ISBN.

If you haven’t submitted your paper yet, please make sure that you are using the appropriate templates!

Due to a large number of requests, we have decided to extend the papers and workshops submission deadline to 15 February 2015, 23:59 GMT.
We will do our best to keep the notification dates unchanged.

The call for tutorials will stay open until 15 April, with notifications on 15 May.

The Organising Committee

Message from the workshop chairs:

If you are preparing to submit a workshop proposal to C&T, make sure you include the following:

• the title of the workshop,
• the list of organisers and their backgrounds,
• the workshop’s theme, goals and activities;
• maximum number of participants,
• means of soliciting participation,
• means of selecting participants.

The proposals should be no longer than 4 pages!

Deadline for applications: 1 May 2015
Notifications: 15 May 2015

Becoming a student volunteer for C&T2015 provides a unique opportunity to meet other students and well-known international researchers. You will see the latest in C&T research and development and have fun while learning about running an international conference. Many students mention that the connections that they made while being a student volunteer are amongst the greatest benefits.

As a student volunteer, you agree to:

• Work 10-20 hours during the conference (27 – 30 June 2015);
• Support the setting up of presentations and workshops;
• Attend an orientation session on 26 June 2015 in the afternoon.

In return, you will receive free registration to the C&T2015 conference (including meals and proceedings); Please be aware that travel expenses to and from the conference, as well as accommodation are not covered.

We are looking for motivated and reliable Student Volunteers who are enthusiastic about supporting the conference in running smoothly and effectively. To qualify as a SV, you must be a Master’s or PhD student enrolled for the 2014/2015 or 2015/2016 academic year. No previous experience is required. Volunteers will need good fluency in English.

Interested in becoming a Student Volunteer? Email us at volunteers@comtech.community including the following:

• Your contact details (email, phone number, university);
• Contact details for one academic referee (email, phone number, university);
• A 300 word (maximum) description of your current research project;
• A CV; and
• The reasons why you would like to become a Student Volunteer for C&T 2015 (300 words maximum).

Laura Maye, C&T2015 Student Volunteers Chair