Annual John Ll. J. Edwards Memorial Lecture
Join us for the 28th annual Edwards Lecture, "Big Tech, Big Questions: Who Are We in a Data-Driven World?" delivered by Wendy Wong, Professor of Political Science and Principal’s Research Chair, University of British Columbia.
What distinguishes the digital age from the analog world that preceded it? In this talk, Wendy H. Wong examines the rise of data-intensive platforms and their growing role in shaping everyday life. As digital technologies increasingly mediate how we communicate, decide, and interact, they also raise fundamental questions about autonomy, dignity, equality, and community. Moving beyond a narrow focus on artificial intelligence, Wong situates AI within a broader transformation driven by datafication—the encoding of human behaviour, choices, and values into data. What does this shift mean for how we understand human rights and the future of humanity?
The lecture will be followed by a Q&A and a reception. The event will also feature the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Emerging Leader Impact Award.
This event is presented by the University of Toronto's Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies and cosponsored by U of T's Woodsworth College and Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law.
About the John Ll. J. Edwards Memorial Lecture:
The annual John Ll. J. Edwards Memorial Lecture honours and celebrates the late John Llewellyn Jones Edwards, professor at the Faculty of Law and founder of the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. Edwards was an English-trained legal scholar who taught at Dalhousie University before joining U of T Law. In 1963, he established the Centre for Criminology as a world-renowned multidisciplinary research centre which has grown to offer undergraduate, master's and PhD programs in criminology and sociolegal studies.
Dr. Wendy H. Wong
Dr. Wendy H. Wong brings an insightful, politically-attuned lens to the questions of what Big Tech (not just AI) actually “do” to the ways we live, work, and play. Drawing on her expertise in international politics, civil society, and human rights her work reveals how digital transformation is fundamentally reshaping the structures that govern modern life.
Dr. Wong is the author of We, the Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023), recipient of the Balsillie Prize for Public Policy in 2024—making her the first and only woman and person of color to receive this honour to date. The book also won 2026 Best Book (Human Rights) at the International Studies Association, and was shortlisted for the Lionel Gelber Prize and has been widely recognized for advancing public understanding of rights, governance, and digital society. She is currently Professor and Principal’s Research Chair at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan), where she co-leads the Digital Transparency Research Excellence Cluster. Her research has attracted almost $2.3 million CAD in funding from major bodies, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
She previously held senior academic and leadership roles at the University of Toronto, where she directed the Trudeau Center for Peace, Conflict, and Justice and contributed to interdisciplinary research on emerging technologies. Currently, Dr. Wong has two books under contract: Mirrored States: How to Govern Big Tech (Penguin Canada) and Governance Constellations (Cornell University Press). She is also a frequent media commentator on technology and society, co-hosting the podcast Battle Rhythm and regularly contributing to public conversations on the implications of digital transformation on CBC, TVO, and many other podcasts and radio outlets, as well as a contributor to The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and The Montreal Gazette, among others.
Alongside her active career as a researcher and public commentator, Wendy has mentored numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in recent years, many of whom have gone on to positions in major educational institutions, government agencies, and policy-making bodies. Dr. Wong is widely sought after by organizations navigating the societal and strategic implications of emerging technologies. Her work equips decision-makers with the insight and clarity needed to respond effectively to a rapidly evolving digital landscape. She challenges organizations and policymakers to move beyond conventional approaches and adopt more sophisticated frameworks for understanding power, accountability, and citizenship in a data-driven world.