Suelette Dreyfus is an Australian technology researcher, journalist, and academic. She is a lecturer in the Department of Computing and Information Systems at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, as well as the principal researcher on the impact of digital technologies on whistleblowing as a form of

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

. Her research includes information systems,

digital security Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thre ...

, privacy, and the impact of technology on

whistleblowing Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...

, health informatics and e-education.

Career

Dreyfus' work in

e-health eHealth describes healthcare services which are supported by digital processes, communication or technology such as electronic prescribing, Telehealth, or Electronic health record, Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The term "eHealth" originated ...

has focused on the patient information experience in the health system and the role of technology in error incident reporting in hospital settings. She has co-invented

prototypes A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...

in information design for

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

reports with the aim of allowing doctors to improve communication with patients and families regarding the status of their diseases in progressive and chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Her research in education has focused on using social media to teach foreign language to

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

-speaking primary school students, particularly for difficult languages that require more hours of practice such as Asian languages. Dreyfus has written on the importance of protecting Freedom of Information access (FOI), the problems of information asymmetry and "tool asymmetry" between the individual citizen and the state, and the trend of "security clearance creep". She was a member of the WikiLeaks advisory board. Her essays have also appeared in ''The Conversation'', discussing the importance of protecting public access to strong encryption, the need for legal protections for whistleblowers, and the security paradox of legislation enforcing retention of metadata for two years for everyone in Australia.

''Underground''

She is the author of the 1997 book '' Underground: Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier.'' The book describes the exploits of a group of Australian, American, and British

hackers A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bugs or exploits to break ...

during the late 1980s and early 1990s, among them

Julian Assange Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of News leak, leaks from Chels ...

who is credited as a researcher for the book. Dreyfus released it in e-version in 2001 for free. Dreyfus was an Associate Producer and interview subject for the documentary '' In the Realm of the Hackers'', inspired by ''Underground'', in 2003.

References

External links

Underground: Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier
() * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreyfus, Suelette Living people Academic staff of the University of Melbourne Australian people of French-Jewish descent Writers about computer security Cypherpunks Activists from Melbourne Australian women writers Australian computer specialists Australian freelance journalists Australian political journalists Australian producers Internet activists Journalists from Melbourne Open content activists Year of birth missing (living people) Information systems researchers People associated with WikiLeaks