Block Chain Technology for Gun Reform: Evaluating the ATF’s Database Challenges ; The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica Scandal: Technological Politics and the Design of User Consent

Author:
Halter, Mary, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia

Advisors:
Vrugtman, Rosanne, EN-Comp Science Dept, University of Virginia
Laugelli, Benjamin, EN-Engineering and Society, University of Virginia

Abstract:

My STS research paper and technical capstone project, though addressing different
subject areas, both examine how technological systems shape and reflect power dynamics,
especially in regards to data collection and user consent. My capstone project focuses on using
blockchain technology to modernize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
(ATF)’s firearm tracking system. This system aims to enhance data security, streamline
compliance, and support responsible gun ownership through an immutable, privacy-respecting
digital registry. In parallel, my STS research paper investigates Facebook’s role in the Cambridge
Analytica scandal through the lens of Langdon Winner’s “Technological Politics,” exploring how
Facebook’s user interface design undermined informed consent and facilitated unethical data
harvesting. Both projects critically engage with the ethics of digital systems: one exposing how
poor design choices can erode autonomy, the other proposing how ethical design can build
transparency and accountability.
The technical portion of my thesis centers on a blockchain-based solution to the ATF’s
outdated, paper-based gun sales documentation system. By creating a secure, permissioned
ledger to record firearm transactions, the proposed system reduces the risk of illegal sales,
increases traceability for law enforcement, and strengthens public trust. The project involves
implementing smart contracts to automate compliance, integrating encrypted user data to balance
privacy with accountability, and testing the system with a pilot network of licensed gun sellers. If
proven successful, this design could be scaled nationally to standardize firearm tracking across
the United States. The system leverages blockchain’s decentralization and cryptographic security
to solve a complex, politically sensitive public safety challenge without infringing on individual
rights.
My STS paper examines how Facebook’s design enabled the mass harvesting of user data
by Cambridge Analytica. Using the framework of Technological Politics, I argue that Facebook’s
deceptive consent mechanisms, including vague privacy settings, default data sharing, and dark
patterns, intentionally reinforced corporate power and limited user autonomy. The paper
emphasizes how technical artifacts are not neutral; rather, they are embedded with political
intent. This case demonstrates the societal consequences of unethical design and the importance
of ensuring that user-facing technology protects, rather than exploits, its users.
Working on both projects simultaneously allowed me to explore technology’s dual
potential: it can just as easily reinforce unethical power structures as it can dismantle them. My
research on Facebook’s manipulative design practices made me more sensitive to how interface
decisions and default settings influence user behavior, which directly informed my technical
work in designing ethical defaults and transparency mechanisms into the blockchain interface. It
also prompted deeper reflection on the responsibility engineers bear in shaping systems that are
just, equitable, and respectful of individual autonomy. Moving forward, I intend to carry this
ethical perspective into future work in software engineering, prioritizing human-centered design
and proactive consideration of sociotechnical impacts.