Voting in online surveys on open government policies in Moldova and Ukraine

Dmytro Khutkyy, University of Tartu
Olga Matveieva, Dnipro University of Technology
Diana Mirza-Grisco, Independent researcher
PUBLISHED ON: 21 Jun 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.2.1712

This international comparative research explores the socio-political impact of voting in online surveys on voters, civil society organisations, government authorities and open government overall in Moldova and Ukraine.

A platform policy implementation audit of actions against Russia’s state-controlled media

Sofya Glazunova, Queensland University of Technology
Anna Ryzhova, University of Passau
Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology
Silvia Ximena Montaña-Niño, Queensland University of Technology
Arista Beseler, University of Passau
Ehsan Dehghan, Queensland University of Technology
PUBLISHED ON: 14 Jun 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.2.1711

A platform policy implementation audit of how major digital platforms implemented their content moderation policies towards RT and Sputnik accounts at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It shows a wide, yet inconsistent range of measures taken by tech giants.

The politics of internet freedom rankings

Tetyana Lokot, Dublin City University
Mariëlle Wijermars, Maastricht University
PUBLISHED ON: 8 Jun 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.2.1710

Internet freedom rankings are a comparative tool that serves as an evaluative shorthand in decision-making contexts internationally. Understanding their aims and how they define internet freedom, as well as the power relationships within the ranking ecosystem, can reveal a lot about their politics – and their limits.

Artificial intelligence regulation in the United Kingdom: a path to good governance and global leadership?

Huw Roberts, University of Oxford
Alexander Babuta, British Library
Jessica Morley, University of Oxford
Christopher Thomas, British Library
Mariarosaria Taddeo, University of Oxford
Luciano Floridi, University of Bologna
PUBLISHED ON: 26 May 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.2.1709

Introduction Globally, there are now over 800 AI policy initiatives, from the governments of at least 60 countries, with most being introduced after 2016. The United Kingdom (UK) is at the forefront of AI governance efforts, at least quantitatively, being second only to the United States (US) in terms of the number of national-level AI policies released (OECD.AI, 2021) and ranking top for the number of mentions of AI in legislative documents between 2016 and 2021 (Zhang et al., 2022). According to the OECD, the US has released 55 documents, the UK 53, the EU 59, and China 22. These figures do not evidence the UK producing better outcomes than other countries that have published fewer …

From access and transparency to refusal: Three responses to algorithmic governance

Alexandra James, La Trobe University
Danielle Hynes, University of New South Wales
Andrew Whelan, University of Wollongong
Tanja Dreher, University of New South Wales
Justine Humphry, University of Sydney
PUBLISHED ON: 17 May 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.2.1691

This paper critically engages with key responses to algorithmic governance, including access and inclusion, transparency, and refusal. How can these responses effectively address the harms produced by algorithmic governance?

Slow-governance in smart cities: An empirical study of smart intersection implementation in four US college towns

Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Brett Frischmann, Villanova University
PUBLISHED ON: 31 Mar 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.1.1703

This empirical study of governance and ethics regarding the adoption of smart intersection in four US college towns, structured by the Governing Knowledge Commons (GKC) framework, calls for deliberative, slow-governance of public data to respect human rights and align with community norms.

This special issue brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to identify the human rights implications of algorithmic, biometric and smart city technologies and the means to govern them. In the editorial, we propose a framework for the analysis and design of human-rights-based smart cities.

The grey-zones of public-private surveillance: Policy tendencies of facial recognition for public security in Brazilian cities

André Ramiro, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
Luã Cruz, State University of Campinas (Unicamp)
PUBLISHED ON: 31 Mar 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.1.1705

The article explores the regulatory “grey zones” in the deployment of facial recognition (FRT) in policing in Brazil, and the policy and civic responses to them.

Substantively smart cities – Participation, fundamental rights and temporality

Philipp Hacker, European University Viadrina Frankfurt
Jürgen Neyer, European University Viadrina Frankfurt
PUBLISHED ON: 31 Mar 2023 DOI: 10.14763/2023.1.1696

Smart cities need citizen participation, robust data protection, non-discrimination and AI governance to effectively address the challenges of ever-changing technologies, function creep and political apathy.