Fourth international Data Justice conference
Date: 1-2 June, 2026
Location: Cardiff University in Cardiff, UK
Host: Data Justice Lab
The field of data justice continues to engage critical debates on the societal implications of datafication in all its iterations, from social media to platform capitalism to the current hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI). Data Justice 2026 will explore and discuss how the advent of data-driven technologies has intermingled with and transformed the state. From high-stake uses, such as those revealed in the Snowden leaks, to crisis management as evidenced during the Covid-19 pandemic, to the mundane and everyday delivery of public services, platforms and AI systems are now deeply embedded within roles and functions associated with the state. At the same time, the state has been instrumental in the advancement of datafication and the role that technology, and its providers, now play in society. At a time when governments and technology companies are seen to be closer than ever, examining their relationship and its consequences seems pivotal for our understanding of data justice. The conference will therefore examine the role and transformations of the state in an age of datafication and what this means for social justice and resistance; the interrelations between data-driven technologies and government; the changing role of corporations; emerging popular responses; and efforts to democratise datafication. Hosted by the Data Justice Lab at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC) in the UK, it will bring together international scholars, practitioners and community groups to discuss the nature and implications of the datafied state.
Keynote Speakers include:
Oriana Bernasconi, UC Chile, Chile
Sarah Myers West, AI Now, US
Nick Srnicek, King’s College London, UK
Call for Papers
The Call for Papers has now closed, but anyone can register even without presenting a paper or organising a workshop.
You can find the Call for Papers here.
Conference registration
Regular: £150 (until the early bird deadline on 6 March); £175 (until the final deadline on 17 April)
Students: £100 (until the early bird deadline on 6 March); £125 (until the final deadline on 17 April)
Please register for the conference here.
Conference logistics
Find out more about travel and hotels here.
Conference format:
Data Justice 2026 will be an in-person conference. After previous Data Justice conferences were held in-person (2018), online (2021), and hybrid (2023), the next conference should allow participants to come together physically to discuss their work. We have tried to keep registration fees as low as possible in order to enable attendance for as many of you as possible. This will unfortunately not allow for meaningful hybrid participation, but we will try to provide online streams or recordings of keynotes and major events.
