International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW)

Andreas Baur

Society, Culture and Technological Change

Andreas Baur is research associate at the research area Society, Culture and Technological Change and conducts research at the interface between information and security technologies and society. He holds a BA in Political Science and Economics and an MA in Peace Resarch/International Politics. Andreas pursues a PhD on the Politics of the Cloud at the University of Amsterdam.

Research interests

Critical Security Studies · Cloud computing · Cyber security · Privacy and data protection · Science and Technology Studies

About

  • Studies
    • B.A. in Political Science and Economics, University of Tübingen/Universidad de Guadalajara
    • M.A. in Peace Research and International Politics, University of Tübingen
    • awarded a scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation)
  • since 2015 research associate at the research area “Society, Culture and Technological Change” of the Ethics Centre
  • Member of the Communications Committee of DoingIPS
  • external PhD candidate at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), University of Amsterdam. Supervisors: Prof Dr Marieke de Goede and Prof Dr Thomas Poell

Publications

Select publications
  • Baur, A. (2023) ‘European Dreams of the Cloud: Imagining Innovation and Political Control’, in: Geopolitics. doi:10.1080/14650045.2022.2151902
  • Baur, A. (2022) ‘Grenzenlosigkeit in Grenzen. Zur Politik globaler Cloudinfrastrukturen’, in: Politikum 8 (2), 44–49. doi:10.46499/2032.2377  Download
  • Theilen, J.T., A. Baur, F. Bieker, R. Ammicht Quinn, M. Hansen and G. González Fuster (2021) Feminist data protection (special issue), Internet Policy Review 10(4). doi:10.14763/2021.4.1609
  • Theilen, J.T., A. Baur, F. Bieker, R. Ammicht Quinn, M. Hansen and G. González Fuster (2021) ‘Feminist data protection: an introduction’, in: Internet Policy Review 10(4). doi:10.14763/2021.4.1609
  • Baur-Ahrens, A. (2017) ‘The power of cyberspace centralisation: analysing the example of data territorialisation’, in: M. Leese and S. Wittendorp (eds) Security/Mobility. Politics of Movement, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 37–56. doi:10.26530/oapen_626401
  • Baur-Ahrens, A. (2016) ‘Cyberwar’, in: J. Heesen (ed.) Handbuch Informations- und Medienethik, Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler, 261–68. doi:10.1007/978-3-476-05394-7_35
  • Baur-Ahrens, A. (2016) ‘„Cyberwar“ – Ein zentrales Problem der Sicherheitsdebatte?’, Deutschland & Europa 71, 58–62.
  • Baur-Ahrens, A., M. Krüger, R. Ammicht Quinn, M. Leese and T. Matzner (2015) How Smart Is “Smart Security”? Exploring Data Subjectivity and Resistance. Final Report. Tübingen: IZEW. doi:10.15496/publikation-8318
Further publications
  • Heesen, J., R. Ammicht Quinn, A. Baur, T. Hagendorff and I. Stapf (2022) ‘Privatheit, Ethik und demokratische Selbstregulierung in einer digitalen Gesellschaft’, in: A. Roßnagel and M. Friedewald (eds.) Die Zukunft von Privatheit und Selbstbestimmung, Wiesbaden: Springer Vieweg, 161–187. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-35263-9_5
  • Baur, A. and Solange Martinez Demarco (2021) ‘Participation’, digilog@bw Spotlights.
  • Baur, A. (2020) ‘Dezentrale Tracing-Apps: Der einzig gangbare Weg – und trotzdem kein Allheilmittel’, BedenkZeiten as well as Corona-Tracing.
  • Baur, A. (2020) ‘Corona und die Bedeutung von Cloud-Infrastrukturen’, digilog@bw.
  • Büscher, M., […], A. Baur et al. (2018) ‘The IsITethical? Exchange: Responsible Research and Innovation for Disaster Risk Management’, in: K. Boersma and B. Tomaszewski (eds) Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, Rochester: ISCRAM, 254–267.
  • Baur-Ahrens, A., T. Hagendorff and M. Pawelec (2017) ‘Kryptografie’ and ‘Big Data’, in: J. Baumann and J. Lamla (eds) Privacy Arena: Kontroversen um Privatheit im digitalen Zeitalter, Kassel: kassel university press, 44–57, 97–116. doi:10.19211/KUP9783737603072
  • Baur-Ahrens, A. (2017) ‘Schaut in die Cloud – Ein Plädoyer für eine eingehendere ethisch/politische Beschäftigung mit der Cloud’, in: C. Brand, J. Heesen, B. Kröber, U. Müller and T. Potthast (eds) Ethik in den Kulturen – Kulturen in der Ethik. Eine Festschrift für Regina Ammicht Quinn, Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto, 327–333.
  • Baur-Ahrens, A. et al. (2016) ‘Smart Technologies – Workshop on Challenges and Trends for Privacy in a Hyper-connected World’, in: D. Aspinall et al. (eds) Privacy and Identity Management. Time for a Revolution?, IFIP AICT 476, Cham: Springer, 111–28. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-41763-9_8
  • Baur-Ahrens, A., J. Heesen, T. Matzner (2016) ‘Was auf uns zukommt: Prävention im IT-Kontext’, in: R. Ammicht Quinn Prävention und Freiheit. Zur Notwendigkeit eines Ethik-Diskurses. Advisory opinion for the 21st German Congress on Crime Prevention, 6/7 June 2016, Magdeburg, 113–25.

Academic talks and event organisation

  • ‘Governing European Cloud Infrastructures’, 4S/ESOCITE 2nd Joint Meeting, Cholula/Mexico, 7–10 December 2022.
  • Invited speaker: ‘Why we need to talk about feminist data protection’, Digital Futures in the Making: Imaginaries, Politics, and Materialities, Hamburg, 14–16 September 2022.
  • ‘Cloud infrastructures between global skies and sovereign territories’, EISA 15th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Athens, 1–4 September 2022.
  • ‘Governing European cloud infrastructures’, EASST 2022, Madrid, 6–9 July 2022.
  • ‘GAIA-X: Governing Europe’s Moon-Shot in the Cloud’, EISA 14th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, online, 13–17 September 2021; EWIS 2021: (Re-)Imagining Security: Between Science, Technology and Fiction, online, 30 June – 2 July 2021 and ISA 2022 Annual Convention, Nashville (online), 30 March – 2 April 2022.
  • ‘Imagined secure European cloud futures’, Making Europe through Infrastructures of In/Security, Vienna (online), 12/13 Nov. 2020 and 7th European Workshops in International Studies, Brussels (online), 2 July 2020.
  • Organisation of the workshop on Feminist Data Protection, part of the Forum Privacy, Berlin, 20 November 2019, together with R. Ammicht Quinn, F. Bieker, G. González Fuster, M. Hansen und J. Theilen.
  • Organisation of the 2019 conference of the Forum Privacy on ‘Aufwachsen in überwachten Umgebungen – Wie lässt sich Datenschutz in Schule und Kinderzimmer umsetzen?’ (‘Growing up in monitored environments - How can data protection be implemented in schools and child rooms?’, together with colleagues from Fraunhofer ISI and the University of Duisburg-Essen.
  • ‘Social Impacts of Tackling IT Security Issues through the Cloud’ and ‘How to make sense of the cloud?’, EISA 13th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Sofia, 10/13 September 2019.
  • ‘The Cloud as a Way to a More Secure Internet – and its Social Effects’, 6th European Workshops in International Studies, Kraków, 27 June 2019.
  • ‘The Power of the Cloud at the Horizon of ICT Infrastructures’, ISA’s 60th Annual Convention 2018, Toronto, 27 March 2019.
  • ‘Sky full of clouds. Cloud computing and its future political impact’, EISA 12th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Prague, 13 September 2018.
  • ‘The cloud at the horizon of ICT infrastrucutures’, EISA Early Career Researchers Workshop: Exploring IR through Infrastructure, Prague, 11 September 2018.
  • ‘The cloud at the horizon of the internet infrastructure’, EASST2018 Conference, Lancaster, 26 July 2018.
  • ‘What does the cloud do to security?’, ISA’s 59th Annual Convention 2018, San Francisco, 7 April 2018.
  • ‘What does the cloud do to security?’, 11th Pan-European Conference on International Relations 2017, Barcelona, 15 September 2017.
  • ‘Ethical, Legal and Social Issues within the SECTOR project’, Information Infrastructuring for Disaster Risk Management: Addressing Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) in Information Sharing. Side-event of the Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP) 2017, Brussels, 26 February 2017.
  • ‘Smart Security an Flughäfen. Smart für wen?’ (together with Marco Krüger), Smart New World – Was ist „smart“ an smarten Technologien? Internationale Konferenz TA16, Vienna, 30 May 2016.
  • ‘Smart security at airports. Smart for whom?’, 7th Biannual Surveillance & Society Conference, Barcelona, 20–23 April 2016.
  • ‘Smart security at airports – smart for whom?’ (together with Marco Krüger), 3rd European Workshops in International Studies, Tübingen, 6–8 April 2016.
  • ‘The Power of Cyberspace Centralisation’, 9th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, Giardini Naxos, 23–26 September 2015.
  • ‘An Ethical Perspective on the Power of Smart Devices’, Smart Technologies – Workshop on Challenges and Trends for Privacy in a Hyper-connected World, IFIP Summer School 2015, Edinburgh, 16–21 August 2015.
  • ‘Centrality, De-Centrality and Internet Security’, Workshop: Security/Mobility: Between Imagination and Authority, Amsterdam, 25–26 September 2014.

Talks

  • Invited speaker, Summer School of the Cusanuswerk on Cyber war's. Sicherheit in einer digitalisierten Welt (Security in a digitalised world), Regenstauf, 14 August 2018.
  • Invited speaker, Nuremberg Dialogue on Technology on Herausforderung: Sicherheit im Cyberspace (the challenge to secure cyberspace), Nuremberg, 21 June 2018.
  • Invited speaker (together with Marco Krüger), Specialist conference on Luftsicherheitskontrolltechnik – Technologie und Ausrüstung für die Sicherheit im zivilen Luftverkehr (Aviation security technology – technology and equipment keeping civil air transport secure) organised by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Leipzig, 9 June 2016.

Interviews and media appearances

  • ‘Gaia-X: This Governance Process is unique in the World’, Interview with Andreas Weiss and Thomas Sprenger of eco – Verband der Internetwirtschaft, Gaia-X Federation Services and dotmagazine, 14 February 2023. 
  • ‘Infrastrukturen, Cloud und Governance’ (‘Infrastructures, cloud and governance’). Video summarising my research conducted within digilog@bw. YouTube, 21 December 2022.
  • ‘Who can we trust?’ A video interview with me is part of an exhibition at ZKM Karlsruhe, 18 December 2021 – 24 April 2022.
  • ‘Was steckt hinter der Cloud? Corona und die Bedeutung von Cloud-Infrastrukturen’ (‘What's behind the cloud? Covid-19 and the importance of cloud infrastructures’, digiloglounge, YouTube interview with Sabine Faller, ZKM, 17 September 2020.
  • ‘Warum wir keinen Cyberwar erleben werden’ (‘Why we won't experience a cyber war’), interview with the podcast SWR Aktuell Netzagent, 16 August 2019.
  • ‘Smart Data and Smart Cities’, interview with students of the Berufliche Gymnasium St. Klara, Rottenburg, as part of the Ethics Forum on ‘Big Data – Herrschaft der Algorithmen?’ (‘Big Data – Authority of Algorithms?’), 16 January 2019.
  • ‘Kunst und Wissenschaft forschen gemeinsam zu Privatheit’ (‘Arts and science work together in a research project on privacy’), article on netzpolitik.org, 3 July 2017.
  • ‘Digitale Schlachten’ (‘Digital battles’), interview as part of a radio broadcast of cantaloup.fm, 15 May 2017.
  • ‘Smarte Welten im Kapitalismus 2.0’ (‘Smart worlds and capitalism 2.0’, with Marco Krüger et al.), interview as part of a radio broadcast of Deutschlandfunk, 7 October 2016.
  • ‘Smart City – Stadt der Zukunft’ (‘Smart city – city of the future’, with Marco Krüger et al.), interview as part of the radio broadcast Salzburger Nachtstudio, Ö1, 21 September 2016’.
  • ‘Der Flughafen ist ein symbolischer Ort’ (‘The airport is a symbolic place’, interview with the public service broadcaster SWR, together with Matthias Leese), SWR Landesschau Aktuell Baden-Württemberg, 23 March 2016.

Teaching

Completed projects

  • digilog@bw (2022, MWK Baden-Württemberg): „Digitalisierung im Dialog”
  • Forum Privacy (2021, BMBF): ‘Research for a self-determined life in the digital age’
  • HEIMDALL (2021, EU Horizon 2020): ‘Multi-Hazard Cooperative Management Tool for Data Exchange, Response Planning and Scenario Building’
  • SECTOR (2017, EU FP7): ‘Secure European Common Information Space for the Interoperability of First Responders and Police Authorities’
  • Privacy-Arena (2016, BMBF): ‘Research Project for a Cartography and Analysis of the Privacy-Arena’
  • SmartSec (2015, Media Democracy Fund): ‘How smart is “smart security“? Exploring data subjectivity and resistance’