Thomas P. Keenan

Background and research interests

Tom combines a deep technical knowledge with lively insights into the social and cultural aspects of technology. He was educated at Columbia University, receiving BA, M.Sc., MA and Ed.D. degrees in Philosophy, Mathematics, Engineering and Education. He is a popular professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape as well as the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary, a Fellow of the Canadian Information Processing Society and the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, and a Research Fellow of the Centre for Military Security and Strategic Studies. Tom taught Canada’s first computer crime course, in 1974, and was involved in drafting that country’s inaugural computer crime legislation. He has been an expert witness in civil and criminal cases including one involving claimed “Internet defamation” and one involving privacy violations using a hospital’s EHR system.

He is the author of over 500 academic papers, book chapters, presentations, and articles, and has spoken on five continents to academic audiences, major conferences, and the general public.  His latest book, Technocreep (www.technocreep.com) dissects how technology is becoming creepy in hidden ways that are difficult for most people to understand. It has recently appeared in the top ten on Amazon.ca in categories including Civil Rights and Liberties, Technology & Society, and Social Aspects of Technology.

His research interests include cybersecurity, information warfare, disinformation, image/photo/video fakery, blockchain applications to security, big/open data and IoT risks.