Emerging Technologies and Surveillance

A Reflection Through Cinema

9 October – 2 December 2025

The course Emerging Technologies and Surveillance: A Reflection Through Cinema explores the role of emerging technologies in the context of surveillance, highlighting their implications for individuals and society. Now pervasive across multiple domains – from work and education to crime prevention and law enforcement – these technologies raise pressing questions concerning control, the protection of fundamental rights, and cybersecurity.

The program consists of four meetings. The first provides a theoretical introduction to the topic, addressing the technical, legal, and ethical dimensions of surveillance. The following three sessions feature the screening of selected films as a starting point for critical discussion on the use of emerging technologies, followed by round tables with experts from different disciplines.

The aim of the course is to promote a deeper understanding of contemporary surveillance dynamics, with particular attention to the effectiveness of existing cybersecurity measures in preventing intrusive forms of control affecting various groups and contexts.

This course is part of the cycle New Technologies, Rights, and Society and is organized in collaboration with the interdepartmental laboratory TecSEDU – Emerging Technologies, Society, Ethics, and Human Rights.

Schedule

Thursday, 9 October 2025 | 16:30-17:30 | Aula U6-1d (Building U6–Agorà, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, Milan)
Introduction

Wednesday, 22 October 2025 | 16:30-19:00 | Aula U6-11 (Building U6–Agorà, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, Milan)
Mass Surveillance
Film screening: Orwell 1984 (Michael Radford, 1985, 113 min)
Round table and discussion
Speakers:

• Prof. Elena di Carpegna Brivio (DiSEADE, University of Milano-Bicocca)

• Prof. Gabriele Della Morte (Università Cattolica di Milano)

• Alessandra Pierucci (Italian Data Protection Authority; former Chair of the Consultative Committee of Convention 108, Council of Europe)
  Moderator: Prof. Silvia Salardi (University of Milano-Bicocca)

Tuesday, 11 November 2025 | 16:30-19:00 | Aula U3-10 (Building U3–Bios, Piazza della Scienza 2, Milan)
Data Sharing on Social Media
Film screening: The Great Hack – Privacy Violated (Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim, 2019, 113 min)
Round table and discussion
Speakers:

• Dr. Francesco Cajani (Deputy Public Prosecutor, Court of Milan; member of IISFA Scientific Committee)

• Marco Balduzzi (Cybersecurity expert, Trend Micro)

• Mirko Calcaterra (Datapizza, Italian tech community of over 500,000 software and AI professionals)
  Moderator: Prof. Andrea Rossetti (School of Law, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Tuesday, 2 December 2025 | 16:30-19:30 | Aula Sironi (Building U4–Tellus, Piazza della Scienza 2, Milan)
Behavioral Prediction and Surveillance
Film screening: Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002, 145 min)
Round table and discussion
Speakers:

• Dr. Francesco Stocchi (Department of Law, University of Milano-Bicocca)

• Prof. Claudio Ferretti (Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication, University of Milano-Bicocca)
  Moderator: Dr. Marta Sosa Navarro (DiSEADE, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Participation and Certification

• Attendance is in person only. No live streaming or recordings are provided.

• Participation is free of charge and open to students, staff, and the public.

• There is no limit on participants, subject to classroom capacity.

Open Badge Certification
An Open Badge will be issued to participants who attend at least three of the four meetings and successfully complete a short written assignment.

Attendance will be considered valid only if participants sign the register and are present for at least 90% of the event duration. Eligible participants will receive an email with the link to collect their badge.

Students of the University of Milano-Bicocca may request the recognition of university credits (CFU) from their Course Coordination Council. The Master’s Degree Program in Data Science has already approved the recognition of 2 CFU for this course.

Registration and Information

Please click here to register by 20 October 2025.
For further information, consult the FAQ section or contact bbetween@unimib.it.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Marta Maria Sosa Navarro
Scientific and Organizing Committee: Dr. Douglas Luis Binda Filho, Prof. Francesca Gasparini, Prof. Carla Gulotta, Dr. Aurora Saibene, Prof. Silvia Salardi, Dr. Marta Sosa Navarro, Dr. Francesco Stocchi