"MEÐAN FÓLKARÆÐIÐ SVAV?"

: Ein sosiologisk kanning av parlamentariska fatanarkringinum av borgarans talgilda privatfriði

Abstract

Digital privacy is perceived by scholars to be under continuous and constant pressure. The question of considering this theme for a social science study is found relevant, since Faroese society is highly digitalised as well as digitally transformed. The research objective of this master thesis is to examine how digital privacy of its citizens is perceived by Faroese parliamentarians, how they perceive threats, and their mandate as parliamentarians, in this regard. The research was carried out with qualitative semi-structured focused interviews with six members of the Faroese parliament followed by a narrative analysis.

The findings indicate that the respondents may have internalised a global digital imperialistic logic in regard to the necessity of e-governance, rooted in a New Public Management narrative. The non-debate about digital transformation in the Faroese parliament "Føroya løgting" indicates that the respondents perceive
digital transformation and the digital as an apolitical object, thus separating the politics of the digital transformation to the power of the market. The respondents narrated that the smartphone is a surveillance tool that unfortunately is being used as a login device to the gateway to the digital Faroe Islands, "Vangin".

Since the Faroese language only uses the term digital and does not distinguish between digitalisation and digital transformation, it is likely that the construction of language has an impact on the invisibility of the
perception of digital transformation. The findings also indicate that the respondents give the Tech Giants a Maussian gift when willingly accepting data-mining as the new normal.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English
Supervisor	Ragnheiður Bogadóttir (Supervisor)