#publicsphere (145 results)

The Digital Services Act: It’s time for Europe to turn the tables on Big Tech

The EU’s new Digital Services Act is a blueprint for forcing Facebook, Youtube, and other major online platforms to tackle the serious risks they pose to individuals and the public sphere. Its success now depends on whether EU officials will effectively enforce the law.

Policy Brief: Our recommendations for strengthening data access for public interest research

Open Letter: Big Tech won’t respect the new Digital Markets Act unless it can be enforced

AlgorithmWatch and 17 other civil society organizations are calling on the European Parliament to quickly mobilize the resources needed for the European Commission to strongly enforce of the Digital Markets Act.

Submission to the UN report on the right to privacy in the digital age

When the right to privacy is violated, it is often the case that other human rights are also negatively impacted. In our submission, we list key areas of concerns on the way automated decision-making systems (ADMs) affect people’s basic rights.

Council of Europe creates rules for Artificial Intelligence

Not only the EU but also the Council of Europe – an international organization based in Strasbourg – is setting rules on Artificial Intelligence (AI). In this explainer on its Convention on AI, we show what this is all about, why it is relevant to you and what the next steps are.

The Digital Services Act: EU sets a new standard for platform accountability

A political agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA) reached late last week may set a major blueprint for protecting people’s rights online and holding Big Tech companies accountable. It will do so in part by forcing platforms to be more transparent about the design and function of the algorithmic systems which are core to their business practices.

DSA trilogues in the endgame: Policymakers must prioritize platform transparency

With the trilogue negotiations entering their final phase, key issues remain at stake that will determine the final text of the Digital Services Act (DSA). In this policy paper, we urge EU negotiators to prioritize issues that are central to the DSA’s accountability structure – including third-party data access for public scrutiny, independent audits, and increased transparency for online advertisements.

Joint Civil Society Briefing for the Digital Services Act Trilogues

The Digital Services Act (DSA) promises greater accountability for big tech platforms and a safer and more transparent online environment for all. At the moment, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission are negotiating the final version of the text. In a joint briefing paper compiled with 11 other civil society organizations, we define key priorities for these so-called trilogue negotiations.

DataSkop: simulating the dynamics of recommender systems

Several thousands of supporters donated their YouTube profile data on our platform DataSkop. We have developed a simulator that is designed to demonstrate basic principles of recommendation algorithms such as YouTube's.

AlgorithmWatch signs statement on ban of predictive policing in the Artificial Intelligence Act

Today, 1st March 2022, AlgorithmWatch along with Fair Trials, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and 38 civil society organisations launched a collective statement to call on the EU to ban predictive policing systems in the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA).

Human rights and activities of tech companies: Governments must act

Discrimination and violations of rights to equal treatment by the law – these are among the risks to human rights posed by the development and use of algorithmic systems by technology companies. In our submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) we argue that states have a duty to protect citizens from these risks.

Joint Statement on Stakeholder Inclusion in the Code of Practice on Disinformation Revision Process

The Code of Practice on Disinformation is currently being revised to update commitments by platforms and industry to tackle the problem of online disinformation. In a joint statement with Access Now, Civil Liberties Union for Europe, and European Digital Rights (EDRi), we express our concerns over the lack of inclusion of third-party stakeholders in the revision process.

Don’t smile for the camera – stop automated facial recognition!

Join the cause and spread the word about the dangers of biometric surveillance by ordering one of our “Don’t smile for the camera” tote bags for free.

Costly birthplace: discriminating insurance practice

Two residents in Rome with exactly the same driving history, car, age, profession, and number of years owning a driving license may be charged a different price when purchasing car insurance. Why? Because of their place of birth, according to a recent study.

EU Parliament approves its negotiating position on the DSA

The plenary vote establishes the European Parliament's position ahead of the trilogue negotiations with the Council of the EU and the Commission, which will start next week. Despite progress by the Parliament on issues like platform transparency, it is far from guaranteed that this progress will be enshrined in the final law.

Data altruism: how the EU is screwing up a good idea

In a new AlgorithmWatch discussion paper, data regulation expert Winfried Veil argues that the Data Governance Act is not only annoyingly bureaucratic, but a missed opportunity to breathe life into the “Data for Good” idea.

Fixing Online Forms Shouldn’t Wait Until Retirement

A new Unding Survey is investigating discrimination in online forms. But operators are already getting angry emails. Behind some: a recently retired IT consultant with one of the most common surnames in the world and 30 years experience of not being able to sign up.

Platforms oppressing public interest research: EU Commission responds to MEP Breyer’s question concerning AlgorithmWatch

After Facebook forced AlgorithmWatch to shutter our Instagram monitoring project, MEP Patrick Breyer submitted a written question to the European Commission asking how to protect public interest research from being oppressed by large tech platforms. Now, the Commission has responded.

The year that was not saved by automated systems – 2021 in review

A climate catastrophe in Germany and the revelations of the Facebook Files had one thing in common: the humans in the loop failed to take the right decisions. 2021 was not the year algorithms were reined in, but 2022 might be.

DSA milestone: EU lawmakers have responded to our calls for meaningful transparency for big tech

Over the last months, AlgorithmWatch – supported by dozens of civil society organizations and researchers, and over 6.000 individuals – has advocated for using the Digital Services Act (DSA) to enable meaningful transparency into the way online platforms influence our public sphere. The vote in the European Parliament today shows that our work has made an impact.

Inside Poland’s stay-at-home “selfie” app

The Polish government's mandatory "Home Quarantine" app was supposed to replace home police visits. Users say it is a joke.

Holding platforms accountable: The DSA must empower vetted public interest research to reign in platform risks to the public sphere

The negotiations on the Digital Services Act (DSA) are now at a critical juncture. We have written an open letter to all IMCO Committee Members of the European Parliament asking them to empower a broad base of vetted public interest researchers whose independent scrutiny is vital to holding large tech platforms accountable. It has been signed by 22 international academics and independent researchers and 29 civil society organisations.

Facebook goes after the creator of InstaPy, a tool that automates Instagram likes

Facebook sent a cease-and-desist letter to Tim Grossmann, the creator of InstaPy, and blocked his accounts – and those of his start-up – on the platform.

National parks near Marseilles deploy automated, live video surveillance against poachers

Two national parks in southern France want to automate the detection of poachers, but the efficacy of these systems remains unclear.

Domestic COVID certificates: what does the evidence say?

Born to help reopen international travel routes, digital COVID certificates are now required in several countries to enter premises such as bars, restaurants, gyms, pools, and museums, and to attend large public events. But do they work — and what for, precisely? More fundamentally, is it even possible to have an evidence-based debate about them at all? Tracing The Tracers looked at the lessons we should learn from the available literature, with the help of a stellar group of researchers.