{"id":7867,"date":"2017-12-12T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/statescoop.scpnewsgrp.com\/for-computers-that-are-fair-new-york-city-forms-algorithm-task-force\/"},"modified":"2021-09-03T14:11:21","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T18:11:21","slug":"for-computers-that-are-fair-new-york-city-forms-algorithm-task-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scoopmedia-develop.go-vip.net\/statescoop\/for-computers-that-are-fair-new-york-city-forms-algorithm-task-force\/","title":{"rendered":"For computers that are fair, New York City forms algorithm task force"},"content":{"rendered":"

From water and\u00a0heat to public transit, cities have laws to govern nearly every aspect of community life. New York City is now\u00a0expanding this governance with legislation to monitor computer algorithms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The New York City Council unanimously passed\u00a0a piece of legislation Monday\u00a0directing the creation of\u00a0a task force that will\u00a0advise policymakers and city\u00a0staff on how computer\u00a0algorithms are monitored and evaluated.\u00a0The law says the new task force will study\u00a0“how information on agency automated decision systems may be shared with the public and how agencies may address instances where people are harmed by agency automated decision systems.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

While oversight bodies are common\u00a0for other functions\u00a0of government, this is one of the first charged with routinely monitoring government\u00a0computer code for ethical violations.<\/p>\n

As a supporter of the legislation, the ACLU lobbied for the bill and\u00a0said in a blog post<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0algorithms demand greater oversight since they lay the groundwork for\u00a0critical decisions made by government.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlgorithms are sometimes thought of as the perfect embodiment of objectivity, but the truth is that they are highly vulnerable to human bias,\u201d\u00a0NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman wrote. \u201cAs algorithms become ubiquitous, this bill provides an opportunity for the city to grapple with the critical questions they present,\u00a0and develop policies that promote transparency and prevent abuse.”<\/p>\n

In New York City, algorithms influence\u00a0how first responders are dispatched, how\u00a0business license\u00a0applications are processed, they\u00a0calculate department budgets and handle 311 requests like graffiti removal.<\/p>\n

“A flawed algorithm can lead to someone being trapped in jail for no good reason or not receiving a public benefit,\u201d\u00a0NYCLU Legislative Counsel Rashida Richardson said in a statement. \u201cThis bill is the first in the nation to take such a broad view of the problem and recognize that, for algorithms to benefit society, they must be subject to public scrutiny and a mechanism to remedy flaws and biases.”<\/p>\n

Even with its strong support from the city council, the task\u00a0force will have\u00a0the difficult job of determining how the city can monitor algorithms that manage\u00a0its most sensitive data and critical services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city has not yet announced when the task force will be established.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In recognition of the growing influence of data-driven decision making and computer programs that power public services, a new law has compelled the city to create an oversight body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":39356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_grayscale_images":true,"grayscale_contrast":0,"sponsored_content":false,"display_author_bio":true,"story_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4676,20647,20650],"tags":[4,6,12,39,130,174,175,190,310,1473,1876,5270],"people":[],"special-report":[],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-7867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city","category-modernization","category-data-analytics","tag-tech-news","tag-software","tag-state-local-news","tag-legislation","tag-mobility","tag-open-government","tag-open-data","tag-transparency","tag-new-york-city","tag-task-force","tag-nyclu","tag-workforce"],"yoast_head":"\nFor 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