Ahmed Alrawi
PhD, Lecturer Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Karsh Institute Digital Technology for Democracy, University of Virginia.
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Institute for Information Policy (IIP) Research Fellow
Department of Telecommunication Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University
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Associate Editor
The Journal of Civic Information
The University of Florida
I am a social scientist and media and communication researcher who uses qualitative, quantitative, and computational research tools to study issues lying at the intersection of technology and society, within the context of policy for both AI (adoption, use, and effects) and broadband connections. My research area mainly centers on examining issues related to communications and technology policies and regulations in a global context, encompassing the following two areas:
1) AI, Surveillance, Privacy, and The Implications of ICTs
2) Broadband Policy and Deployment
Biography
​Dr. Ahmed Alrawi is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Karsh Institute Digital Technology for Democracy at the University of Virginia. He earned his PhD in Mass Communication from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at the Pennsylvania State University. He also earned his master's degree in Media Studies and a bachelor's degree in telecommunications from the Bellisario College. Additionally, he earned another bachelor’s degree from the College of Communications at Al-Mansour University in Baghdad, Iraq, where he majored in computer communcation engineering.
Alrawi’s research interests are twofold: (1) AI, Surveillance, Privacy, & the Implications of ICTs, and (2) Broadband Platform Policy and Deployment. Alrawi’s research contributes to understanding the theoretical, methodological, and empirical conversations related to the adoption, use, and effect of ICTs. His research also aims to bring attention to contemporary issues in AI, communication, and media sectors to encourage appropriate regulations and policies that benefit the public.
Alrawi’s current research centers on the following two categories: first, examining the surveillance and privacy implications of AI and information and communications technology (ICT) on individuals’ online communication activities. Second, examining the policy and deployment of rural broadband connections in the U.S. and MENA countries, specifically in terms of accessibility, affordability, and network availability.
Alrawi is fluent in Arabic, Turkish, and English and is conversant in French. He has won multiple awards, including, but not limited to, the Sidney and Helen Friedman Scholarship Endowed Award and the Graduate School Endowment Award.
Research Interest
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The Implications of ICTs
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Platforms Infrastructures
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Surveillance
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Privacy
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Broadband Policy & Deployment
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Qualitative Research Methods
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Quantitative Research Method
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Computational Social Science
Education
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Doctor of Philosophy
Communication Studies
Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University (2024)
Supervisor: Dr. Benjamin W. Cramer
Committee: Prof. Christopher Ali, Dr. Jo Dumas, Prof. Sabine Doran
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Master of Arts
Media Studies
Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University (2021)
Thesis: A Proposal for a Law to Preserve and Protect Digital Privacy for American Citizens
Supervisor: Dr. Benjamin W. Cramer
Committee: Prof. Patrick Parsons, Prof. Ford Risley
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Bachelor of Arts
Telecommunication
Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University (2019)
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Bachelor of Engineering
Computer Communication Engineering (2012)
AL Mansour University, Baghdad, Iraq
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High School Diploma
Almansor High School, Baghdad, Iraq (2008)
Graduated cum laude; Trilingual [English, Arabic, French]
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Publications
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Alrawi, A. (2024). Hopeless Waiting and Apprehension of Missing Out: Evidence from Rural Iraq about the Cellular Broadband Policy Challenges. Journal of Information Policy.
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Alrawi, A. (2024). Blocking Faith: How American Muslims are Chilled through the New Anti-Statues and the Security Agencies’ Surveillance in the Era of the Digital Policing. Touru Law Review.
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Alrawi, A. (2023). Immigrants Are Not Felons: Legal Analysis of Immigrants' Civil Rights Chilling Effect Issues Caused by ICE's SmartLink App Surveillance. Journal of Information Policy.
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Alrawi, A. (forthcoming). Rural Broadband Challenges in Iraq: An Examination of the Intersection Between Rural Broadband Policy Issues and Rural Iraqi Communities' Experience Waiting for Fixed Broadband Connections. International Journal of Communication.
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Alrawi, A. (forthcoming). How Much Will You Share? Exploring Information Privacy Concerns, Information-Sharing, and Perceived Control of Information. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies Journal.
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Troy, C.; Buckley, C.; Alrawi A.; Kim, N.; Vafeiadis, M.; Overton, H. (forthcoming). The Role of CSR in Promoting New Policy Reforms Regarding LGBTQ+ Issues. Submitted to the Journal of Public Relations Review.
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Alrawi, A. (revise and resubmit). Twitter's Privacy Paradox: A Case Study on State Surveillance and Digital Privacy Dilemmas. Journal of Information Privacy and Security.
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Alrawi, A.; Min, R. (revise and resubmitted). An Examination of the Metaverse Technology's Implications on Online Users' Privacy. Article submitted to Journal of Computer Mediated Communication.
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Alrawi, A. (revised and resubmitted). The Economics of Privacy: Examining the Intersection between the Issue of Maximizing Economic Profits and the Legal Repercussions of Surveilling Muslims through the Case of the Muslim Pro App. Article submitted to the Journal of Surveillance and Society.
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Alrawi, A. (under review). The Politics of Regulatory Reform: Broadband Policy Failure and its Impact on Turkish Kurdistan Region Communities. Telematics and Informatics Journal.
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Alrawi, A.; Jeong, D.; Guo, J.; Christopher, A. (under review). “It’s all the same to me”:
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Consumer perceptions of 5G in China, South Korea, and the United States. Submitted to International Communication Gazette.
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Wang, R.; Forde, S., Alrawi, A.; Solis, E.; Jayakar, K. (under review). National domain name arbitration regimes: Convergence or divergence? Submitted to Telecommunication Policy Journal.
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Alrawi, A. (under review). The Economics of the Surveillance Market: Examining the Intersection Between the Issue of Maximizing Fog Data Businesses’ Profits and the Legal Repercussions of Surveilling Americans via Their Geolocation Data through the Case of Fog Data Science LLC. Submitted to the Journal of Surveillance and Society.
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Alrawi, A., Forde, S. (under review). We Can’t Breathe: A Review of the Unequal Protection of Canadian and American Muslims and the Role of Political Influence. Submitted to Rutgers International Law & Human Rights Journal.
Book Reviews
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Alrawi, A. (2023). Review of New Authoritarian Practices in the Middle East and North Africa. Surveillance & Society.
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Alrawi, A. (2022). Review of Fixing Stories: Local Newsmaking and International Media in Turkey and Syria., by Noah Amir Arjomand. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.
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Alrawi, A. (2022). Review of The Future of Digital Surveillance: Why Digital Monitoring Will Never Lose Its Appeal in a World of Algorithm-Driven AI. Surveillance & Society.
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Alrawi, A.(2022). Review of American Propaganda from the Spanish-American War to Iraq: War Stories, by Stephen R. Brydon. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.
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Alrawi, A. (2021). Review of Media and Mapping Practices in the Middle East and North Africa: Producing Space, by Alena Strohmaier and Angela Krewani. Mass Communication and Society.
Non-Peer-Reviewed Materials
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Book
Alrawi, A. (2022). The NSA and FBI Privacy Breaches in the Digital Era, Issues and Solutions to the Problem. Create Space Publishing LLC, Scotts Valley, CA.