During the 2016 US elections, the data shared by a quarter million people enabled Cambridge Analytica to target 800 times as many users. The risks arise less for the individual sharing the data than for the public. That way the protection of an individuals right to consent to data sharing becomes toothless.
If we want to be part of progress we have to be informed and engaged.
For our first event of the series ODEX we invited data governance researcher Lieke Fröberg and Louise Hisayasu from Tactical Tech to an evening of talks and discussions.
The race of technology
Whenever new technologies are created without first regulating their use, a race is created. Everyone who competes is forced to use the technology or lose.
These technologies are spiraling out of control, and the consequences for society are severe. Cambridge Analytica helped Donald Trump win the election. A recent study from Rotterdam shows that an algorithm that assesses the risk of fraud among welfare recipients:is biased and prone to error.
We cannot and do not want to stop technological development. We want technological development that serves everyone in society equally.
With ODEX we invite to discourse. In the event series, we present lectures and create space for discussion. We want to break up the usual habits of tech companies. In doing so, speakers do not reflect the white-male dominated everyday life of these companies.
Their presentations inform and ask the questions that people in decision-making positions need to ask.
Who all does the algorithm I'm developing affect? Is it possible that my data is biased?
In our biased society with biased data, is it even possible to develop an algorithm that is not biased?
Discourse
