Parsing Pegasus: An Infrastructural Approach to the Relationship between Technology and Swiss Security Politics

How do technologies matter for security politics? This article introduces the kind of arguments an infrastructural approach would focus its answer on. It illustrates how work by focussing on spyware Pegasus developed Israeli company NSO matters Swiss politics. follows showing and why it tend to three things primarily: politics infrastructures is inscribed in, processes infrastructuring software generates infrapolitics that sustain transform these infrastructures. The also discusses strengths weaknesses approaches, underlining since they are relational, processual radically open epistemologically ontologically, approaches suitable opening new agendas, re-problematising re-imagining technologies. They less suited studies premised a fixed understanding technology. Welche Verbindung besteht zwischen Technologie und Sicherheitspolitik? Dieser Artikel zeigt, wie ein infrastruktureller Ansatz uns hilft, Antworten zu formulieren. Es werden drei Schlüsselkonzepte des Ansatzes vorgestellt (infrastructure, infrapolitics). In Bezug auf die Kontroverse um Pegasus-Software, von der israelischen Firma verkauft wird, zeigt er, infrastrukturelle Konzeptualisierung dazu beiträgt, politischen Fragen für Sicherheitspolitik anders verstehen als traditionellerer Ansatz, beispielsweise Strategien Interessen Akteure oder das geopolitische Gleichgewicht fokussiert ist. Quel est le lien entre la technologie et politique de sécurité ? Cet montre comment une approche infrastructurelle nous aide à formuler réponses. Il introduit trois concepts clés l’approche Se référant controverse concernant logiciel vendu par firme Israélienne NSO, il ces permettent comprendre les enjeux politiques pour en insistant sur différence qu’une fait rapport aux approches plus traditionnelles centrées p.ex. stratégies intérêts acteurs ou l’équilibre géopolitique. mythical winged white horse Greek mythology, fathered Poseidon foaled Medusa when Perseus decapitated her. could travel impossible distances unreachable places help achieve unachievable. program makes possible bypass WhatsApp encryption. developed, marketed sold Group. spyware. became scandal was revealed Saudi Arabia had used gather information about journalist Khashoggi, later murdered in Istanbul. Switzerland when, wake international debate around it, showed up phones.1 Throughout scandals surrounding spyware, Group affirmed only customers who use ethically, defensive purposes, fight against violence terrorism. Group’s assertions were backed government, whose export regulations sales adhere to. As turned out, sale been approved process associated with regulations. as horse, travelled distances, unattainable place helped listen encrypted inaccessible conversations. technology generally, specifically. But does matter? One family answers — perhaps dominant one? look at has Pegasus, what purposes implications this connection between often approached: tool. Its political significance depends uses how, whom. Here I draw attention towards another focuses itself doing not merely tool (which obviously is) but ‘actant’ Below introduce one branch approaches: one. so threefold argument delineating main building blocks rationale approach: first part basic contention approach, which located mundane, aesthetic/affective emerging socio-material To assess account therefore requires looking beyond noisy scene invisible done underpinning it. second directs multiplicity enacted (and reproduced), emphasising import focused, critical constructive engagement. get grasp intervene politics, we need attention, critically constructively, through comes matter. third, final introduction outlines reasons necessarily tied probing boundaries underpin keeping curious distance. Parsing giving safely bounded academic professional turfs policing goes into securing them. conclusion, return relation other That infrastructure no news. Most disciplines have their own version interest Recently however, received renewed scholars interested various forms materialism wide range different come see offering inroad capturing material including grapple digital turn particularly pronounced (Bowker 2014). core increasingly prefigured On account, lies ‘invisible work’ (Star Strauss 1999) conversations, encryption hacking central gives rise to). Three characteristics make salient elusive. First, mostly mundane seemingly apolitical. infrastructures, decentered, distributed technical. revolves cables, switches, protocols, technical standards designed engineers programmers well internet users postings, commenting, flagging, linking clicks form labour (Van Dijck 2009). However, because absence centralized authority, role governance widely recognized. Internet depicted ‘protocol politics’ ‘by [not of] infrastructure’ involving heterogenous actors (DeNardis 2009; DeNardis Musiani 2016; Dunn Cavelty Egloff 2021). Mundane worked mattered Pegasus. While states (the among many) involved tampering technology, agency rested commercial strategies private companies, centrally WhatsApp, engineers, way shape social media communication. Second, much affective / aesthetic resonance our senses reflected reasoning. Infrastructures create ‘atmospheres’ sensitize us world rather than another. design urban shapes affectively (as discussed Hagmann Kostenwein affordances meditated communication shift Compare Trump’s tweeting or advertising conventional debate. images sounds far more Digital register adjust shown relate ways feed habitual (e.g. Chun 2016). Exploring from perspective sensitizes work. encourages e.g. (affective) trust placed groups assumed be shielded intrusion business pictures oppression ironic memes (aesthetic form) groups. Khashoggi his there conditions possibility arrest authorities unfolding arrest. Infrastructural direct Third, unchanging constantly morphing. Even effects solid firm bridges New York, Russian pipelines electric grid Palestine changing. prefigure them transforming (Ballon Jackson 2007, Barry 2013, Shamir 2013). emergent character marks partly ‘self-organising systems’, qualities fluid (also Wenger Fischer Code, protocols rewritten. Software hardware reconfigured. Actors norms shift. configure constellations evolving temporalities, Gumbrecht (2014) terms versions ‘broad present’. unstable, contextual, relationship technologies, such doing, highlights acknowledging openness analytically studying relations politically reflecting analyses intervening fashioning relationships. leads approaching can gauge significance. Assessing locating aesthetic/affective, step. takes question this. What precise enacted? links anchoring outcomes? Or, work? begin providing answer, decide in. For might example take subjects hence agency. Following Foucauldian line subjectivation “choreographing impressionable subjects” (Introna 2017). Alternatively, adopting Bourdieu inspired instead relational positions dispositions given field (Couldry 2004). drawing Mol’s (ontological) ‘politics what’, explore multiple subjectivities. process, algorithmic decision making anomalies, content, images, organizes circulation (Gillespie 2018). obvious choose, explicit choices made, strength working security. These options necessity choose them, remind always plurality questions ask unique overarching, transcendental criteria deciding ‘critical choice’ ‘Erkenntnisinteresse’. A choice needs made regards kinds There least two proceed. hand, approached ‘critically’ directing domination. example, hegemonic visibility sustaining social, racial, gendered post-colonial identities works ‘data shadows’ ‘yearning potential’ seen “become ever face unfulfilled promises ‘comprehensiveness’ ‘completeness’ ‘big data’ infrastructures” (Leonelli al. 2017: 193). aim usually identify possibilities resist disrupt status quo. constructively (Austin Leander imagine engaging infrastructures; designing rearrange certain (racial, gendered, colonial) hierarchies. may re-design some ‘dangerous liaisons’ expertise, financial interests prejudicial citizens, benefit (Musiani Some anchored deeply cannot redesigned. subject impressed so. exercise branding etymologically cattle slaves go even deeper inside, below skin, body imaginaries (Leander 2019)? Not everything paths following opposites. Rather, crisscross overlap generate “certain balance” intent “defeating existing order, aimed alternative order” (Hage 2012: 292). serve exploration policy. Critique tracing domination operating pricing, generally Zionist values embedded bubbles affords. Construction opens imaginations rely produce order shifting pricing structure, delink institutions, activists academics vying points third last introducing centrality ‘infrapolitics’ necessary any engagement infrastructuring. Infrapolitics term capture processes. outside away formal sphere. hidden dissent resistance (Scott 2005). creative “premised infra, underlying rules world, organized glocal (Thylstrup 2019: 25). point will depend sorts feasible defies disciplinary space across significant enacted, transgress many distinctions organising both thinking practice. means exhaustively, includes separating socio/material, aesthetic/mundane, public/private, national/international, civilian/military. complex boundary crossing far-reaching implications. frame conceptualize, problematize engage disciplines. practical categories, arrangements governing research remit competencies states, organizations NGOs, regulatory fora. hard policed. Perhaps good reason. ensure each discipline profession ‘what best at’. Lawyers logically competent law regulation, while specialists delve risks etc. gauging (or generally) perspective, common-sense affirmation becomes problematic ways. chops infrastructure/-ing responsibility connections something like derives. With division specialisms, overall picture disappears. forest lost trees, components. intertwining aesthetics, law, affects, economics infrastructurings policy disappear view. consequently, falling back moves elsewhere (not conspiratorial reflected). Legal invoke expertise call risk analysts table If everyone shoves elsewhere, ends nowhere. Falling categories difficult wants see, at. practice: insistence company, acting according prevailing laws engaged serious case raises rights freedom expression, intelligence interests, race, gender class, privacy protection. Academics, representatives governments act analogously similar consequences, mobilize delineate respective turfs, denying these. An countering approach. Called revolving termed ‘the category effects’ reproduced Such must resolutely opposed borders, ‘anti-consensus directed ‘conceptual infrastructures’ (Rancière 2008; Strathern important emphasize reject deny borders. contrary, attentiveness invites follow transgressions transgressions. competently collaborations alliances. oddkin— becoming kin odd, i.e. out bizarre (Haraway IR scholars, trespassing turf legal theorists, ICANN ministry defence likely seem odd. Doing specialists, manager, director Technology Human Rights section Amnesty International analyst MELANI2 Yet, technologies) reflect necessary, ‘interesting’. imaginable, possibly feasible, contribution policy, introduced briefly delineated claims through; selectively, micro-level, constructive, anti-policing infrapolitics. parsing short discussion contribution, one, stop outlining features contours parsing, pointing variants. substantive empirical conceptual ahead. invitation pointers where begin. conveys enough indicate approaches. ontologically. Their analysing geared primarily dynamics relationship. pictures, reimagining helpful professionals diplomats, leaders, activists, others gaining of, reframing realistically. ill-suited consultancy work, solving predefined problems. distracting, cumbersome, annoying detour those reached certitude just outlined provide marginal background knowledge best. certainty accompanying closure warranted? Cunning Uncertainty heart contemporary practices appear misplaced (Nowotny uncertainty decentralized, rapidly changing, environment Spyware Thanks Myriam Jonas convening commenting helping me cut) previous contribution. Dagmar Rychnovska Luisa Lobato comments earlier students my IHEID course Politics Commercial Security discussing most ideas. remain mine differently today. submitted summer 2019 changed then. Anna Professor Relations Graduate Institute Geneva PUC, Rio Janeiro. She known her practice theoretical contributions Her current design. Data sharing applicable datasets generated analysed during study.