Vasundhara Kaul, ABF/JPB Early Career Scholar

Vasundhara Kaul

ABF/JPB Access to Justice Research Initiative Early Career Scholar

Vasundhara Kaul (she/her) is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Sociology Department at Purdue University, specializing in the legal, social, and ethical dimensions of data privacy, surveillance, and AI. Her research delves into how individuals navigate the complex and evolving landscape of data collection and privacy-preserving technologies, and whether the legal system is seen as a reliable safeguard against the inequities these technologies may create. In her dissertation, Vasundhara investigates how cultural beliefs and emotions influence people’s legal consciousness of data privacy, i.e., how people make sense of and respond to acts of everyday surveillance such as location tracking and targeted advertising.

Research Focus

Examining the legal consciousness of data privacy among different social groups in the U.S. i.e., how they make sense of and respond to everyday surveillance. The project focuses on understanding the experiences of marginalized communities, since these communities have historically faced greater levels of surveillance and have limited trust in the legal system to protect them from surveillance-based harms. The project frames the privacy losses, and its associated harms, caused by surveillance as a social justice issue and seeks to guide the development of targeted privacy awareness campaigns to empower communities in protecting their data privacy.