Policy & Advocacy

Evidence-based Advocacy

AlgorithmWatch is a non-profit research and advocacy organization. We do evidence-based advocacy, which means that we develop well-founded demands to policymakers, companies, and public authorities on the basis of our scientific and journalistic research (evidence base). These positions form the basis of our policy, campaigning and PR work (advocacy).

Principles, Goals, and Focus

The use of algorithmic decision-making systems (ADM systems) should strengthen – rather than threaten – autonomy, fundamental rights, democracy, and the common good. It should benefit people and society, not harm them – and should benefit all of us, not just a few.

To achieve this, we need to create and develop ‘governance’ frameworks that enable genuine democratic control of ADM systems and ensure accountability. We understand this concept of governance comprehensively:

We strengthen the autonomy of individuals in dealing with ADM systems, on the one hand, by informing and explaining to people about how the systems work and what effects they have. On the other hand, we work to ensure that people have effective legal remedies when they are affected by ADM-based decisions.
We promote transparency around the use of ADM systems, and we actively contribute to an evidence-based public debate on the topic.
We develop concrete proposals for how public administration and private companies can use such systems in a responsible way.
We develop evidence-based proposals for what policymakers – at local, national, and international levels – should do to adequately regulate the use of ADM systems.
We develop tools to assess whether ADM systems violate democratic standards, fundamental rights, and principles of justice and the rule of law.

In our policy work, we focus on four policy areas: