When Karen discovered at a young age that she had a life threatening heart condition, the last thing she expected was to have to worry about software. Now, with a heart device implanted in her body, she has come to understand not only how vulnerable medical devices are but how the critical choices we are making about software are having huge societal impact. Karen will discuss her professional and personal view of the issues both as a patient and as a cyborg lawyer. Karen will also touch on potential avenues for accountability, transparency, and access to remedies as we hurtle towards digital life built on proprietary source code that prevents us from knowing exactly how our vital technology works, what data is being collecting and to what ends, what vulnerabilities exist, and the extent to which closed, proprietary software keeps us from developing societal mechanisms and review processes to keep us safe.
