Professor

Dr. Thomas Patrick Keenan is a seasoned academic, polymath, and public intellectual, bringing a unique blend of expertise in technology, cybersecurity, and education to his role as a professor at SAPL. He taught Canada’s first Computer Security course in 1974 and participated in the Department of Justice consultation which led to Canada’s first computer crime laws in the early 1980s. Dr. Keenan writes and speaks widely about technology’s impact, and his current research explores the balance between technological benefits and privacy concerns. Dr. Keenan’s work is characterized by a deep commitment to understanding and addressing the complex challenges posed by technological advancements in contemporary society, including issues of cybersecurity, technocreepiness, hacking, privacy, and AI. 

After serving ten years as Dean of another Faculty, he chose to join the Faculty of Environmental Design (now SAPL) because he admired its interdisciplinary approach to problems.

This penchant for sharing knowledge is demonstrated in the commitment he has shown throughout his career to mentoring students and fostering their development. One notable example is Shad Valley, a program for gifted high school students. Dr. Keenan played a pivotal role in establishing and running the program at the University of Calgary, nurturing students in the fields of computer science, mathematics, engineering, and entrepreneurship. His commitment to student development is also evident in his work with PhD students, where he supports a wide range of research topics, from smart cities to public transit accessibility for individuals on the autism spectrum. “Fundamentally, I’ve tried to give back and nurture people the way I was supported.”

Selected Work

• Security Implications of Using Blockchain Technology for More than Money, RSA Asia Pacific/Japan Conference, Singapore, July 22, 2016, https://www.rsaconference.com/events/ap16/speakers/thomas-keenan
• Fighting the Creep Factor in Technolgy; Research Presentation at
• Gossip Goes Global: How Mis- and Dis-Information Goes Viral and Why We Should Care, presented at Hawaii International Conference on the Humanities, Honolulu, HI, Jan. 15, 2010
• On The Internet, Everyone Knows You're A Dog: How the Wrong People Get their Hands on Your Info," ICE: The Technology Conference, Edmonton, AB, Nov. 4, 2009
• From "Billion Dollar Bubble" to "Striking at the Heartland": The Woeful Failure of Computer Professional Ethics and What to Do About It, presented at Innovation in Management: The Cutting Edge of Business Education and Practice in an Epoch of Global Collaboration, Poznan University, Poznan, Poland, May 22, 2009
•  How to Use E-Commerce/Technology Tools,  Keenan, T.P., Canadian Federation of Agriculture: Profitability in a Changing Economy, Ottawa, ON, Feb. 26, 2009
• The Worst Is Yet to Come (If We Let It): How "Silent Information" and "Internet Persistence" Will Be Driving Us Crazy in 2015, Keenan, T.P., ID2008: Privacy and Identity Theft Conference, Vancouver, BC, Nov. 25, 2008
• Cloud Computing and Other Trends to Watch, panel discussion at Cybera Summit 08: Driving Business Innovation, Banff, Sep. 29, 2008
• When Spiders Bite: The Use, Misuse, and Unintended Consequences of "Silent Information," presented in Brno, Czech Republic, Sep. 1, 2008 and published in book form in The Future of Identity in the Information Society, Fourth IFIP WG9.2,  Springer, New York.
• Should the Boss be on Facebook?, Canada Revenue Agency regional staff conference, Edmonton, Apr. 9, 2008
• What's Next for Canadian Studies?, Invited presentation at Myths, Culture and Society: A First Nations Perspective, conference sponsored by Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India,  Mar. 26, 2008
• The Future is WOW: Turn in Your Fax Machine for a Pheromone Detector, Industry Canada Strategic Advisory Forum, Winnipeg, MB, Mar. 6, 2008
• Genetic Privacy: The Next Frontier, One Origin: Genetics, Human Rights, and the Next Phase of Human Evolution, Calgary, AB, Nov. 16, 2007
• Where Were You on Saturday Night? -- How "Reality Mining" and Other Emerging Technologies Will Change Your Life and Your Job, Government Technology Exhibition and Conference, Ottawa, ON, October 17, 2007
• On the Internet, Things Never Go Away Completely - The Growing Problem of Internet Data Persistence, presented in Karlstad, Sweden, August 7, 2007, and published in book form in Proceedings of the Third IFIP WG 9.2, 9.6/11.6, 11.7/FIDIS International Summer School, Springer, New York.

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