3 Dec ’20 Responsible Tech Bulletin

Covid presents an opportunity to re-think our relationship with data and collectively demand a Digital New Deal. In the new world that we will otherwise enter, not everyone will be equal — women, for example, are at a disadvantage on tech platforms. A redistribution of the economic value of data by the government may help us achieve a more equitable society. A feminist perspective also helps us rethink consent on internet platforms. Consent, of course, remains a troubling challenge in India’s draft privacy bill. All this in this week’s responsible tech bulletin.

1. In a @DataGovNetwork paper, @anjakovacs and @tripti2994 use feminist perspectives to re-imagine consent. There’s a high bar on consent in the physical world, esp. sexual consent. Taking that to the internet will make us ‘free and equal’ subjects. Link: https://bit.ly/3llSblK
2. In @ITforChange’s #DigitalNewDeal project, @mrnvlnt & @a_mara_lina argue that decisions about data in social protection must be open, inclusive & participatory; human rights considerations should be built in; and systems should be audited and secure. Link: https://bit.ly/3o7SL8z
3. Covid-19’s gendered impact meant that women were ~15% less likely to receive life-saving Covid info as men in B’desh, twice as likely to face violence in India compared to earlier, and four times as much much online sex abuse in Philippines. A must-read: https://www.fes-asia.org/news/digital-gender-divide/
4. Constitutions of India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, and others have a normative focus on resource re-distribution. May provide backing for laws that extract societal value from data. If you missed @ITforChange’s paper, this blog provides a good summary http://ijlt.in/index.php/2020/11/22/constitutionalising-data-redistribution/#2
5. With #PrivacyByDesign being a buzz-word, @cis_india looked at whether it is incorporated into India’s privacy bill. They find little protection from dark patterns or poor design, and inadequate thought given to accessibility of notice policies. Link: https://bit.ly/3liAR17