Unpacking the Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Digital Public Infrastructure

A two-day workshop titled 'Unpacking the Sociotechnical Imaginaries of Digital Public Infrastructure' was organised at IIIT-Bangalore in association with the University of Amsterdam on 24th and 25th July, 2025.

The workshop aimed to bring together researchers thinking and working around different kinds of technologies called 'DPI', in order to foster critical discussions around the design, deployment, and practice of digital public infrastructures. The session was conducted in a hybrid format, allowing researchers based both in India and around the world to share their work.

The participants at the workshop, being from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, shared multiple vantages with which to view DPI. Presentations looked into the paradigm of 'openness' that DPIs claim, explored what consent might look like in data sharing systems, and shared their findings on the administration, governance, and accountability practices in DPIs. They also explored the state-market and private innovation links in the making of DPIs, questions of sovereignty and broader geopolitical motives of states, and situated these features in the everyday use and practice of DPI. Together, the workshop raised several questions on the imaginaries underlying the design of DPI and provided a forum for further discussions on the topic. The workshop concluded with a note of optimism, with participants expressing interest in staying connected and working together.