Case Studies

Case Study Approach 

The AGENCY work programme is structured around three case studies that have been identified from trends reported in the White Paper on Online Harms and the framework for unintended harms. The resulting case studies represent situations where technology intersects with social challenges related to agency and empowerment.

The case studies we consider are: 

Image of a personal health tracking device

Case Study 1: Personal Devices for Health and Wellbeing

Example Complex Harm: life-interfering misappropriation of health-related data, unhealthy eating behaviours through peer pressure.  

Case Study 2: Smart Homes

Example Complex Harm: domestic violence made worse by surveillance, misappropriation and misuse of data collected by industrial parties.  

Image of someone controlling their smart home on their ipad
Image of a set of scales with fact and fake

Case Study 3: Online Disinformation

Example Complex Harm: voter manipulation through ‘fake news’, market manipulation and shaming or otherwise hurting individuals