Ausma
Bernot
Lecturer in Technology & Crime — Griffith University
Critical study of surveillance technologies — how states and private actors acquire, operate, and export the systems they use to observe populations.
About
The shape of the work — from forensic genetics to the critical study of surveillance technologies.
My research concerns critical study of surveillance technologies. Namely, I research how states and private actors acquire, operate, and export information systems they use to observe populations. Much of this work attends to how such infrastructure is developed within states and carried across borders through the commercial relationships between governments and the firms that supply them. My research trajectory is motivated by an ambition to advocate for the responsible use of technology for the benefit of society.
I came to the subject from forensic genetics, having spent several years with forensic and research organisations before turning to academia to study governance, and I conduct much of my research in Mandarin. I write for scholarly journals, for policy and parliamentary audiences, and, when a question reaches the wider public, for the press.
Selected outputs
Peer-reviewed articles on critical surveillance and technology governance.
Public engagement
Writing for the press, parliamentary testimony, broadcast, and invited talks.
X's Grok and nudify fiasco
Expert commentary on the reputational and regulatory risks created by AI-enabled nudification, following controversy over X's Grok image generation model.
Funding & recognition
Competitive funding, awards, and service to the field as a peer reviewer.
Mapping China's Capabilities in Police Cloud Platforms to Improve Protection of Vulnerable Populations
Province-level mapping of China's Police Cloud infrastructure — investments, capabilities, and actors involved in its construction — to clarify how the system is used to monitor vulnerable populations including ethnic minorities and civil society actors.
Technical Vulnerabilities and Misuse of Internet-Connected Chinese Security Technology
An examination of security vulnerabilities in internet-connected Chinese surveillance devices deployed in Australia, contributing to the article on CCTV IoT regulation published in the Journal of Cybersecurity.
Teaching & supervision
A Community-of-Inquiry approach, current courses, and doctoral supervision.
My intentions in teaching rest on two commitments: the autonomy of the learner, and the role of the educator as a facilitator of content and of learning. I build on Ella Kahu's account of holistic student engagement, scaffolding knowledge and skills while encouraging students to direct their own inquiry.
Through an engaged teaching presence and a sustained Community of Inquiry, I work towards an environment in which students can identify, for themselves, the several sources of support available to them.
Courses Taught
Past Teaching
Supervision
I welcome enquiries from prospective doctoral candidates working on critical surveillance technology topics, the public-security technology sector, or the transnational movement of security technologies.
Contact
For supervision enquiries, media requests, and matters of professional record. I aim to reply within a few working days.