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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Joanna Redden, Associate Professor, Information and Media Studies, Western University

Governments' use of automated decision-making systems reflects systemic issues of injustice and inequality

Philip Alston United Nations Inequality Canada
Software and technology can process large amounts of data instantaneously, making them highly attractive for government use. (Shutterstock)

In 2019, former UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston said he was worried we were “stumbling zombie-like into a digital welfare dystopia.” He had been researching how government agencies around the world were turning to automated decision-making systems (ADS) to cut costs, increase efficiency and target resources. ADS are technical systems designed to help or replace human decision-making using algorithms.

Alston was worried for good reason. Research shows that ADS can be used in ways that discriminate, exacerbate inequality, infringe upon rights, sort people into different social groups, wrongly limit access to services and intensify surveillance.

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