
Privacy Techtonics
A Feminist Geopolitics of Privacy, WhatsApp and Democracy in India
Bristol University Press
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 1. April 2026
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-5292-3595-1 (ISBN)
Description
Today, privacy is more than a personal choice-it's a terrain shaped by power, politics and everyday life.
This book shifts the lens from established western narratives to India, WhatsApp's largest market, exploring how digital privacy is lived, built, and regulated on the world's digital peripheries. Drawing on rich field-based research, it examines encrypted technologies, the ties between big tech and governments, and the role of messaging apps in political life.
This is a sharp and grounded account of how privacy can both strengthen and erode democracy in the digital age.
This book shifts the lens from established western narratives to India, WhatsApp's largest market, exploring how digital privacy is lived, built, and regulated on the world's digital peripheries. Drawing on rich field-based research, it examines encrypted technologies, the ties between big tech and governments, and the role of messaging apps in political life.
This is a sharp and grounded account of how privacy can both strengthen and erode democracy in the digital age.
More details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Bristol
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Not illustrated
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-5292-3595-1 (9781529235951)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Philippa Williams | Lipika Kamra
Privacy Techtonics
Feminist Geopolitics of Privacy, WhatsApp and Democracy in India
E-Book
05/2026
1st Edition
Bristol University Press
€38.99
Available for download

Philippa Williams | Lipika Kamra
Privacy Techtonics
Feminist Geopolitics of Privacy, WhatsApp and Democracy in India
Book
05/2026
1st Edition
Bristol University Press
€42.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Persons
Philippa Williams is Professor of Geography at Queen Mary University of London.
Lipika Kamra is Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of Birmingham.
Lipika Kamra is Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of Birmingham.
Content
1. "The future is private": Privacy techtonics, feminist digital geopolitics and the everyday
2. India, WhatsApp and privacy architectures
3. Digitising (party) political intimacies
4. Dwelling in the 'digital living room'
5. Neighbourhood governance by WhatsApp
6. Conclusion: The future of digital private spaces now
2. India, WhatsApp and privacy architectures
3. Digitising (party) political intimacies
4. Dwelling in the 'digital living room'
5. Neighbourhood governance by WhatsApp
6. Conclusion: The future of digital private spaces now