Algorithmic Racism & Environmental Data Justice Readings

[Frijol]

To be facilitated by @lourdesvera and @rgardaphe. Schedule for 2020 semester here: https://github.com/datatogether/reading_datatogether/issues/71

How do choices in technology design and implementation reflect and impact broader social structures? Let's explore, starting with readings from environmental data justice and studies of algorithmic racism.

We use these issues to solicit additional reading suggestions from the community. Please add suggestions below! Ultimately, the facilitators will choose the reading selections for their session.

Here are some readings that were suggested for this topic in the Data Together Annual Meeting:

• EDJ syllabus: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O7ytnzXWFkluiYE4Pulo_mCHs9jdNpPm8hw83aLU2pg/edit#
• Algorithmic racism
  • https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612876/this-is-how-ai-bias-really-happensand-why-its-so-hard-to-fix/
  • https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613508/ai-fairer-than-judge-criminal-risk-assessment-algorithm/?fbclid=IwAR1rurQhgCtBmYwQr370x97pZuES5KNbrCf6c8IVbA83xB7BIGYg971Qgdc
• Secret algorithms
  • Cathy O'Neil - Weapons of Math Destruction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdCJYsKlX_Y
  • https://www.wired.com/story/how-recommendation-algorithms-run-the-world/
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2019/03/07/how-data-scientists-turned-against-statistics/#7ee6c2dd257c
  • Stewardship in the Age of Algorithms by Clifford Lynch: https://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/8097/6583

[lourdesvera]

Hi all,

I've curated some readings for us to discuss next week. Of course, they are flexible and don't feel pressured to read everything. I chose shorter pieces that get strong messages across in a few words.

I think it's about 40 pages, but I am putting in mostly websites. I've chosen some selections from the EDJ Syllabus, which you should check out if you haven't. A lot of the readings do not necessarily have to do with environmental data, but are the data justice offerings that really influenced EDJ as a group. The first is Sasha Constanza-Chock's essay on Design Justice, which is now a book! The academic article of the bunch is EDJ's extractive logic paper, which is more theoretical. Then, I'm including the FAIR and CARE principles from Indigenous Sovereignty Networks. Finally, Pollution is Colonialism is a short but eye opening blogpost.