[bestbits] Call for Contributions: Algorithms & Society Workshop, 10 December 2018, Brussels

[Matthias Spielkamp | AlgorithmWatch]

Hi everyone,

apologies for cross-posting. Please circulate to colleagues who may be
interested.

This call is primarily aimed at academic researchers, civil society
representatives, journalists and practitioners working in the area.

When: Monday, 10 December 2018
Where: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

A workshop organised by Privacy Salon & Law Science Technology and
Society (LSTS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, supported by Open Society
Foundations

Recently there have been increased calls for scrutiny of the role that
algorithms play in society. Algorithms influence life-changing
decisions, yet to-date the transparency about how these models operate
remain firmly limited Who is responsible for their introduction,
integration, fairness and accuracy? What democratic governance
structures are proposed, if made available at all? Who procures,
monitors and regulates their use? What can be done about algorithmic
bias? What bias beyond that is inherent to the data and algorithms do
these systems produce? What are the social and ethical consequences of
algorithms for individuals, groups, communities, institutions and
societies?

There has been a growing discussion on the regulation of and the impact
of algorithms on society for some time. However, these discussions have
been driven mainly by examples from the US and have stuck to a very
general level. In the discussions, algorithmic practices and their
impact in Europe and more specifically in the public sector have
remained rather invisible. There is a clear need for examples and voices
from Europe to inform and enhance the debate about the challenges posed
to societies by algorithms.

This workshop on Algorithms & Society has the following aims:

To understand what legal, social and ethical issues are at stake with
regards to the use of algorithms and algorithmic (decision-making)
systems in Europe. This includes themes such as algorithmic
accountability, algorithmic governance, political economy of algorithms,
fairness and transparency but also what impact the implementation of
algorithms and algorithmic systems will have on societies, fundamental
rights and social justice;

To advance the discussion on the use of algorithms in the area of
predictive policing and migration policy in particular;

To convene the community of researchers, civil society representatives,
journalists and practitioners working on the impact of algorithms and
algorithmic (decision-making) systems in Europe;

To lay the foundation for the organisation of a larger event in 2019
which has the goal to create an interdisciplinary forum for European
researchers and experts working on algorithms and automated decision-making.

We especially welcome submissions on the following topics:

- The use of algorithms and algorithmic (decision-making) systems in the
public and private sector Europe;

- Legal, social and ethical issues at stake with regards to the use of
algorithms and algorithmic (decision making) systems in Europe;

- Case studies of the use of algorithms in the context of (Predictive)
Policing in Europe;

- Case studies of the use of algorithms in the context of European
Migration Policies.

Submission instructions

You can respond to this Call for contributions by submitting a
statement/abstract of max 500 words via a dedicated webpage on the
EasyChair system, detailing your perspective or contribution to the
workshop (please also indicate if you would like to present) using the
following link:

https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=asw2018

Deadline 24 October 2018
Notifications 29 October 2018

We will continue to accept proposals for contributions on a rolling
basis after the deadline.

In case of doubt regarding the suitability of a contribution to the
workshop, please contact Rosamunde van Brakel, rosamunde.van.brakel at vub.be

Please note that we can only invite a limited number of participants. We
will cover transportation and accommodation costs for those who are
selected to speak and a limited number of civil society representatives.

Programming committee
- Rosamunde van Brakel, LSTS Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Privacy Salon
- Joris van Hoboken, LSTS Vrije Universiteit Brussel/IVIR-Universiteit
van Amsterdam
- Seda Gürses, ESAT Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
- Matthias Spielkamp, AlgorithmWatch

All the best
Matthias

--

Matthias Spielkamp
Executive Director
http://algorithmwatch.org/
ms at algorithmwatch.org