Investigating algorithmic systems: Algorithm auditing

Track 01 – Re-imagining the digital public sphere

Algorithms are playing a crucial role in all aspects of life from employment decisions, to credit scores to criminal justice processes. They are being used to make very important decisions which have life-changing consequences and these decision-making processes are largely unaudited. An algorithm is a procedure or a formula often used by a computer to solve a problem. Many algorithms are proprietary and secret which hinder investigating them. However, there is a pressing need to study algorithms empirically, especially to test their fairness. This panel will discuss algorithm auditing as a research design and regulatory tool to identify bias and increase algorithmic accountability.

Speakers :

  • Marc Rotenberg, EPIC
  • Bettina Berendt, Department of Computer Science, KU Leuven
  • Juhi Kulshrestha, Hans Bredow Institute for Media Research at Hamburg University
  • Michael Veale, UCL STEaPP

Moderator :

  • Joris van Hoboken, VUB-LSTS