Increasingly, our social relationships are mediated by automated systems that can often encode biases or forms of discrimination. These systems gather huge quantities of data, process them using algorithms, and then use the results for specific purposes. Through the examination of a specific case study, examine how surveillance and/or the gathering of data works, and what kinds of social and political issues arise in that particular case. Examples of case studies may include: search engines; social media sites; policing or security; political surveillance; etc. Examine the role of advertising and consumer culture in these developments may be useful.