Data & Society [Live] The Cloud is Dead: Living with Legacies of Resource Extraction
7 snips
May 5, 2025 
Alexis Madrigal, author of 'The Pacific Circuit', and Xiaowei Wang, writer of 'Blockchain Chicken Farm', dive into pressing environmental and social issues linked to technology and resource extraction. They discuss the toxic legacies left in marginalized communities, especially the impact on immigrant women in Silicon Valley. The conversation emphasizes the importance of grassroots activism and data empowerment for environmental justice. They also tackle the dynamics of labor rights in the tech industry, highlighting the need for solidarity and community-driven solutions.
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Semiconductor Pollution and Labor Impacts
- Semiconductor manufacturing has deep pollution and labor impacts intertwined with Cold War geopolitics.
- Gendered assumptions shape toxic labor practices and environmental harms in Asia and Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley's Hidden Legacies
- Silicon Valley's heroic tech narratives ignore environmental and racial legacies.
- Huey Newton emphasized global capitalism's link between Bay Area tech, ports, and supply chains decades ago.
Spirit Possession as Labor Resistance
- Workers in Penang used spirit possession to resist toxic factory conditions.
- Haunted histories remind communities about present responsibilities and actions.
