Melodi Dincer

What does that mean?

Hi, my name is Melodi (pronounced like "Melody"). I'm a first generation Turkish American living in Washington, DC.

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For me, a critical tech lawyer brings a critical view to bear on the dominant technology narratives shaping our society. On a practical level, this means questioning the immense investments in emerging "dataveillance" (data + surveillance) technologies often deployed at scale on BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, indigenous, and other marginalized people: biometric AI products like facial recognition and emotion recognition systems, predictive policing tools, "smart" border regimes, and more. On a theoretical level, I view technosolutionism with extreme skepticism. This is the idea that many difficult social problems can be solved with some magical technology, usually sold for profit. I draw from many different perspectives, from abolitionists to data feminists to critical queer and indigenous studies, to think more deeply about how policymakers should be approaching tech regulation to mix up the status quo. I write about biometric harms, "diversity" in machine learning datasets, and how law school clinics can serve social justice movements through transformative tech law & policy interventions.

Ultimately, my work helps social movements fight algorithmic violence & build transformative futures.

Futures where our collective joy & power limits tech exploitation – not the other way around.

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When I'm not thinking big thoughts about tech justice, I can be found playing piano, cooking surprisingly delicious plant-based meals, biking around DC, learning Spanish, rollerskating, and going on adventures throughout the DMV and beyond.