Archives Area, Level 2, University of Stirling Library

Created in 1984, the ICO is celebrating 40 years of data protection in the UK.  This exhibition explores what this means through a collection of classic data protection objects.  The objects tell us stories about how privacy has evolved, about how personal data is used in society, and how personal information can improve our lives or cause us harm. These objects are presented in the Archives space at the University of Stirling Library alongside the Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth, an interactive installation celebrating George Orwell’s classic novel 1984.  The date, 1984, is not the only relevant synergy between these exhibitions, both the ICO and the novel are interested in new technology and citizen-state relations!

From the ICO website:

It’s 1984. The year of the first Apple Mac, the discovery of DNA fingerprint testing, AI running havoc in The Terminator and, in the UK, a new law has come into effect which gives people the right to access their own personal information held by others. In a small office near Manchester, the ICO was founded as the UK’s data protection regulator, responsible for overseeing the new Data Protection Act and upholding your rights. We’ve witnessed a lot of change over the past 40 years, from the launch of social media to new laws giving you the right to access information. And yet, in many ways, very little has changed. The use of our personal information can either improve our lives or cause us harm. We’ve collated a number of items that tell a tale of how privacy has been at the centre of some of the biggest events over the past 40 years. They represent key moments when people’s right to privacy or access to information has been affected – positively or negatively – and we’ll explain the role we’ve played protecting your rights, whether or not you realised we were by your side. And we’ll also ask what privacy means to you. When have you valued your privacy, or felt it was at risk? Has being able to access information made a difference in your life? We’ve left space in our exhibition for you to select an item that means something to you personally. The world may look starkly different today than it did 40 years ago. But your rights are stronger than ever, and we’ll continue to uphold them as the world around us changes.

See the exhibition online here.

This is a collaborative exhibition between the Information Commissioner’s Office, the University of Stirling Art Collection and the Centre for Research into Information, Surveillance and Privacy (CRISP). It is designed to accompany the Winston Smith Library of Victory and Truth installation hosted by the University of Stirling between January-February 2025.  While the exhibition is on, there will be a series of events relating to 1984, please keep an eye on the website for more details.

For further information about the event email: CRISP@stir.ac.uk