Sylvain Besençon

I hold a Bachelor's degree in musicology and anthropology (University of Fribourg, 2010-2013), a Master's degree in anthropology (University of Neuchâtel 2013-2016), and a PhD in social anthropology (University of Fribourg 2018-2024). David Bozzini and Francesca Musiani supervised my doctoral thesis, which I defended in January 2024. Entitled 'Les temps de la sécurité informatique: une anthropologie du soin du protocole cryptographique OpenPGP'’’(The times of computer security: an anthropology of the care of the OpenPGP cryptographic protocol), this thesis draws on and engages with Science and Technology Studies (STS), maintenance studies and Internet governance studies. It focuses on the care and maintenance practices of a cryptographic protocol which many consider as dead while other try to prolong its life. I analyzed the way in which OpenPGP is developed and maintained by a wide range of players, including but not limited to computer scientists, mathematicians, academics and hackers. In particular, I have analysed the practices involved in the care of computer code, the negotiation of Internet standard specifications and the governance of digital infrastructures. Since spring 2024, I am an affiliated member of Anna Mann's team (SNF Ambizione) and her project "(Im-)Possibilities of Letting Life End". My current research focuses on death in and with the digital. I am particularly interested in the trajectory of our personal data at the end of our lives.

Outside academia, I have a passion for music (accordion, clarinet, percussion, piano, choir) and amateur photography. I particularly enjoy discovering other forms of life around us, whether animals, plants or other forms of life. Some of my photographs can be seen on my website: https://sylvi.ch.