We focus on using patent data, with machine learning methods, in the context of China, for the purpose of tracking the pace of development of potentially human rights sensitive smart city technologies.
News and Research articles on Human rights
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.
Considering the rise of numerous smart city projects that impact fundamental rights in modern cities, this paper calls for the need to assess their cumulative effects on fundamental rights of city dwellers.
An analysis of the EU data protection legislation and the AI Act proposal to assess, in light of the principle of proportionality, whether or not law enforcement authorities should be prohibited from using these technologies in "real time".
European smart city technology development suffers from one-sided inputs and high compliance costs. Due to this developers may look into markets with lower standards for human rights compliance.
This article critically examines how three AI initiatives articulate corporate responsibility for human rights regarding long-term risks posed by smart city AI systems.
Avatars, as emanations of human identity, do not at the moment enjoy a regulated legal status. This article specifies legal tools for creating digital identity and their limitations.
The UK welfare system relies on gender stereotyping and, increasingly, on surveillance: risking a vicious cycle of categorisation and control
This editorial introduces ten research articles, which form part of this special issue, exploring the governance of “European values” inside data flows.
Facing fragmentation of digital space in the Snowden aftermath, this article considers regulatory models available to avoid the balkanisation of the internet.
Targeted political advertising can potentially exclude voter segments from important political information, and undermine the democratic process
Focusing on whether data-intensive technologies used in political campaigning are accurate and effective misses the point about their larger role in politics. This piece briefly addresses the popular question of “Does it work?” and suggests a series of questions and provocations that aim to more holistically capture the extent of tech-led disruption in a time of creeping voter surveillance.
Marianne Franklin is Professor of Global Media & Politics, convenor of the MA in Global Media and Transnational Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London. We interviewed her in advance of the five year anniversary celebration of our journal.
Today's struggles for human rights in the digital age would greatly benefit from a closer look at the past.
This paper is part of Australian internet policy, a special issue of Internet Policy Review guest-edited by Angela Daly and Julian Thomas. Part I: The Data Retention Act In April 2015, the Australian government passed the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Amendment (Data Retention) Act, which requires Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecommunications providers to store information about their subscribers’ online activity for a period of two years. The data retention rules apply to metadata – loosely defined as information that is not the 'content' of a communication. Generally, service providers must keep identifying information about their subscribers, including billing …
Do ICANN’s policies and operations have an impact on human rights? Civil society engagement in the organisation seeks to inscribe human rights in internet infrastructure.
Internet intermediaries unilaterally define their terms of service (ToS) and enforce them privately by shaping the architectures of the networks and platforms under their control. Based on empirical evidence, Belli and Venturini argue that ToS and their implementation affect users’ rights.
Authoring a Charta specifically for digital fundamental rights might be a welcome distraction for rulers, finds Amelia Andersdotter.
Despite criticism, this charter "is unique in reaching out to engage with much broader audiences than any other digital charter did before," say digital policy advisers von Weizsäcker and Schräpel.
When ‘governance’ started rhyming with ‘government’, Turkish activists thought, "it’s time to organise an alternative conference alongside the official UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF)". Read this interview with three organisers of the Internet Ungovernance Forum, which took place in Istanbul on 4-5 September 2014.