Ben Collier

Ben Collier is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Methods at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in intersections between Criminology and Science and Technology Studies. His work examines digital infrastructure's role in power, crime, privacy, and control.

• Senior Lecturer, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies
• Chair, Foundation for Information Policy Research

Research spans three main strands:

• Large-scale ethnographic studies of digital infrastructure (Tor network, generative AI adoption by governments, elite content moderation)
• Digital crime and resistance (cybercrime industrialization, hacker communities, statistical analysis of harm signals)
• Digital infrastructure and state power (FBI takedowns, law enforcement innovation, National Technical Authorities)

Recent publications include book chapters and journal articles analyzing Tor's cultural significance, cybercrime market dynamics, and digital influence campaigns by government agencies. Collaborations with Cambridge Computer Lab Security Group highlight technical-sociological intersections.

Methodologically combines qualitative research with computational and statistical approaches, focusing on critical social data science and ethical implications of digital technologies. Supervises PhD students across relevant topics in digital methods and cybercrime research.