Accountability (33)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- GIS Lounge
- 2019
GIS, a relatively new form of computational analysis, can often contain algorithms with biases based on biases present in the training data from open data sources, with this case study focusing on the tendency of power-line identification data being centered around the Western world. This problem can be improved by approaching data collection with more intentionality, either broadening the pool of collected geographic data or inputting artificial images to help the tool recognize a greater number of circumstances and thus become more accurate.
- GIS Lounge
- 2019
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- 5 min
- GIS Lounge
- 2019
When AI Goes Wrong in Spatial Reasoning
GIS, a relatively new form of computational analysis, can often contain algorithms with biases based on biases present in the training data from open data sources, with this case study focusing on the tendency of power-line identification data being centered around the Western world. This problem can be improved by approaching data collection with more intentionality, either broadening the pool of collected geographic data or inputting artificial images to help the tool recognize a greater number of circumstances and thus become more accurate.
What happens when the source of the data itself (the dataset) is biased? Can the ideas present in this article (namely the intentionally broadening of the training data pool and inclusion of composite data) find application beyond GIS?
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- 19 min
- Kinolab
- 1954
Once ships start mysteriously disappearing off the coast of Odo Island in post-WWII Japan, both scientists and villagers are confounded. Eventually, the culprit of these attacks is revealed to be Godzilla, a massive kaiju thought to be from the Jurassic era who has returned from the deep sea in order to wreak havoc and destruction on humanity. Scientists explain to government officials their theory that Hydrogen-bomb testing in the deep sea disrupted Godzilla’s natural habitat and provoked the attacks on Odo island. After debates over whether Godzilla should be killed or studied for contributions to science, the monster attacks Tokyo with flame breath. Emiko and Ogata implore Serizawa to deploy his new Oxygen Destroyer technology against this monster. This lethal device suffocates any living things before splitting oxygen molecules and liquefying anything organic in the range. While the technologies on display here are not necessarily digital in nature, this narrative nonetheless provides a non-American voice on the dangers of technology and innovation, especially as they are deployed in wars.
- Kinolab
- 1954
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- 19 min
- Kinolab
- 1954
War Technologies and Global Impacts
Once ships start mysteriously disappearing off the coast of Odo Island in post-WWII Japan, both scientists and villagers are confounded. Eventually, the culprit of these attacks is revealed to be Godzilla, a massive kaiju thought to be from the Jurassic era who has returned from the deep sea in order to wreak havoc and destruction on humanity. Scientists explain to government officials their theory that Hydrogen-bomb testing in the deep sea disrupted Godzilla’s natural habitat and provoked the attacks on Odo island. After debates over whether Godzilla should be killed or studied for contributions to science, the monster attacks Tokyo with flame breath. Emiko and Ogata implore Serizawa to deploy his new Oxygen Destroyer technology against this monster. This lethal device suffocates any living things before splitting oxygen molecules and liquefying anything organic in the range. While the technologies on display here are not necessarily digital in nature, this narrative nonetheless provides a non-American voice on the dangers of technology and innovation, especially as they are deployed in wars.
How should dangerous technology be regulated, as to not purposefully or inadvertently harm innocent citizens if deployed in wars? What modern warfare technologies are currently being used which could have unforeseen consequences? Should dangerous technology or specimens be kept around for scientific study, or should they just not be allowed to exist at all? How can it be insured that innovations and innovators are not abused by evil powers? What appears to be the metaphorical meaning of Godzilla in this narrative? How can technology exacerbate global divides and xenophobia?
Godzilla: A Glimpse of Godzilla-
- 5 min
- Gizmodo
- 2021
Thorough investigation led to the conclusion that bots played a role in the economic disruption of GameStop stocks in early 2021. Essentially, the automated accounts aided in the diffusion of materials promoting the purchase and maintenance of GameStop stocks as a ploy to act as a check on wealthy hedge fund managers who bet that the stock would crash. The wholistic effect of these bots in this specific campaign, and thus a measure of how bots may generally be used to cause economic disruption in online markets through interaction with humans, remains hard to read.
- Gizmodo
- 2021
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- 5 min
- Gizmodo
- 2021
Bots Reportedly Helped Fuel GameStonks Hype on Facebook, Twitter, and Other Platforms
Thorough investigation led to the conclusion that bots played a role in the economic disruption of GameStop stocks in early 2021. Essentially, the automated accounts aided in the diffusion of materials promoting the purchase and maintenance of GameStop stocks as a ploy to act as a check on wealthy hedge fund managers who bet that the stock would crash. The wholistic effect of these bots in this specific campaign, and thus a measure of how bots may generally be used to cause economic disruption in online markets through interaction with humans, remains hard to read.
Do you consider this case study, and the use of the bots, to be “activism”? How can this case study be summarized into a general principle for how bots may manipulate the economy? How do digital technologies help both wealth and non-wealthy people serve their own interests?
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- 30 min
- UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG GRADUATE SCHOOLS
- 1982
Hardware specialist Automatic Jack is roped into a dangerous hacking scheme with his partner Bobby Quine while they compete for the affections of Rikki. Their plan is to use deadly malware to infiltrate the protections of Chrome, a mysterious overlord of cyberspace who hoards massive amounts of wealth. They enact this plan by entering cyberspace within a program and visualizing the data held within this digital network which connects people all across the globe.
- UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG GRADUATE SCHOOLS
- 1982
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- 30 min
- UNIVERSITY OF WÜRZBURG GRADUATE SCHOOLS
- 1982
Cyberspace and Internet Imaginations: “Burning Chrome” by William Gibson
Hardware specialist Automatic Jack is roped into a dangerous hacking scheme with his partner Bobby Quine while they compete for the affections of Rikki. Their plan is to use deadly malware to infiltrate the protections of Chrome, a mysterious overlord of cyberspace who hoards massive amounts of wealth. They enact this plan by entering cyberspace within a program and visualizing the data held within this digital network which connects people all across the globe.
How can malware be used for good, and when should it be used for good? How do imaginations of the internet influence how people perceive this mysterious yet pervasive network? In what ways would making aspects of the internet into tangible images help people understand it better? How should the most powerful stakeholders in a given digital architecture be challenged? How might immersion into cyberspace give people more agency?
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- 7 min
- Venture Beat
- 2021
As machine learning algorithms become more deeply embedded in all levels of society, including governments, it is critical for developers and users alike to consider how these algorithms may shift or concentrate power, specifically as it relates to biased data. Historical and anthropological lenses are helpful in dissecting AI in terms of how they model the world, and what perspectives might be missing from their construction and operation.
- Venture Beat
- 2021
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- 7 min
- Venture Beat
- 2021
Center for Applied Data Ethics suggests treating AI like a bureaucracy
As machine learning algorithms become more deeply embedded in all levels of society, including governments, it is critical for developers and users alike to consider how these algorithms may shift or concentrate power, specifically as it relates to biased data. Historical and anthropological lenses are helpful in dissecting AI in terms of how they model the world, and what perspectives might be missing from their construction and operation.
Whose job is it to ameliorate the “privilege hazard”, and how should this be done? How should large data sets be analyzed to avoid bias and ensure fairness? How can large data aggregators such as Google be held accountable to new standards of scrutinizing data and introducing humanities perspectives in applications?
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- 7 min
- The New York Times
- 2021
On October 4th, 2021, Facebook’s servers experienced an outage which left its apps, including the commonly used Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, out of commission for several hours. The problem is said to be caused by a incorrect configuring of Facebook’s servers, which ultimately led to a Domain Name System error in which the numerical IP addresses determined by the computer became inaccessible. The myriad effects of this outage spread across the globe as businesses were effected by the lack of access to these social networks. Additionally, certain other internet services linked to Facebook became inaccessible.
- The New York Times
- 2021
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- 7 min
- The New York Times
- 2021
Facebook and all of its apps go down simultaneously.
On October 4th, 2021, Facebook’s servers experienced an outage which left its apps, including the commonly used Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, out of commission for several hours. The problem is said to be caused by a incorrect configuring of Facebook’s servers, which ultimately led to a Domain Name System error in which the numerical IP addresses determined by the computer became inaccessible. The myriad effects of this outage spread across the globe as businesses were effected by the lack of access to these social networks. Additionally, certain other internet services linked to Facebook became inaccessible.
What are the dangers of relying on fallible networks to perform essential functions such as business? How can network infrastructure be more protected? How much data and information should Facebook be trusted with?