This talk examines the relationship between truth-telling, technology, and medical surveillance through the example of Abilify MyCite, a digital pill that tracks if patients take their medication. Marketed as empowering, this technology raises questions about patient dignity and autonomy and asks the critical question, is the "right to lie" a human right?  While Foucauldian biopower theories of surveillance highlight institutional control, I propose that the newest technologies in psychiatric surveillance, including digital pills, and Artificial Intelligence/Large Language Models/Machine Learning predictive modeling and diagnostics and treatments, represent a shift back to a panopticon-style of surveillance that Foucaullt did not anticipate. While Foucault’s analysis highlights power structures, an approach to these questions that combines Critical Disability Studies, Science and Technology Studies, and Autoethnography illuminate how patients navigate and resist surveillance in practice.

Kate is a sociologist who studies health, mental health, and technology. Her work covers topics like dating, memes, gender and cancer, mental health, teaching, and medical technology. She recently edited a book called “Medical Technology and the Social,” which looks at how medical tools affect relationships and beliefs. In 2024, she published three articles about mental health in academic life. Kate is writing a book about technology in psychiatry, including “smart pills” that track medication use and AI tools for diagnosis. She also helped create a free sociology textbook for college students and teaches classes on sociology, mental health, gender, and disability. She earned her bachelor’s degree at a small college in Portland, Oregon, started her PhD at Rutgers University, and finished at Portland State University. She also runs a consulting business to solve real-world problems using sociology.