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Justice, Equity, & Inclusion

Algorithms are increasingly being deployed across the public and private sectors, helping to make decisions for everything from loan and welfare eligibility to college admissions to bail and sentencing guidelines. With the rapidly growing scale of technology comes greater potential for reinforcing bias and inequality. We are actively working to broaden the conversations around the development of new technologies, to preempt harms, and to propose steps to ensure technology serves the public good.

Our Work 93

News
Jan 25, 2024

Visualizing Boston's Urban Spaces Using Open Data

Research sprint re-imagines new and trustworthy data systems in Boston

Technological tools that use city-based data are encoded with the value systems of their designers. How might data-driven systems be designed for the agency and safety of…

News
Nov 14, 2022

BKC Comment to the FTC on Transparency and Commercial Surveillance

On behalf of BKC and its projects and associates, the Cyberlaw Clinic submitted a comment regarding the FTC's ANPR related to commercial surveillance and data privacy.

News
Aug 24, 2022

Recommendations for the U.S. National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct in the Technology Sector

Takeaways from a recent Consultation on Ethical and Rights-Respecting Technology for the National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

Takeaways from a recent Consultation on Ethical and Rights-Respecting Technology for the National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct in collaboration with the Global…

Event
Feb 2, 2021 @ 12:00 PM

White Surveillance and Black Digital Publics

Video & Podcast: A Conversation with Dr. Apryl A. Williams and Dr. Allissa V. Richardson

Video & Podcast: Dr. Apryl A. Williams and Dr. Allissa V. Richardson will address the long-standing history of White vigilante-style surveillance of Black people in public spaces

News
Oct 29, 2020

Research sprint participants explore digital transformation in time of crisis with focus on education

Students from all over world join international dialogue on the ethics of digitalization

Students from all over world join international dialogue on the ethics of digitalization

News
Oct 1, 2020

Web Integrity Project joins the Berkman Klein Center

Project spotlights government transparency

Project researches government transparency and censorship

Event
Sep 24, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

A New Jim Code?

Featuring Ruha Benjamin on Race, Carceral Technoscience, and Liberatory Imagination in Everyday Life

VIDEO & PODCAST: Ruha Benjamin presents the concept of the “New Jim Code" to explore a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity: by explicitly amplifying racial…

Event
May 21, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

Auditing for Bias in Resume Search Engines

with Christo Wilson, Associate Professor Northeastern University

VIDEO & PODCAST: Are the algorithms that surface and rank your resume for job recruiters biased with respect to gender?

Feb 26, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

Goodbye California?

The New Tech Worker Movement

VIDEO & PODCAST: In the past years, workers across the tech industry have engaged in an unprecedented series of actions challenging their companies. What do these actions mean-…

Event
Feb 15, 2019 @ 5:30 PM

Re-Framing the Frame

Preparing Justice-Seekers through Legal Education

Read more about the Re-Framing the Frame Workshop here.  This talk takes a critical look at the consequences of framing legal education as it stands now: as law from…

News

Exploring Social Innovation in Norway

A Workshop on Mapping Innovation Ecosystems

What we learned about social innovation in Norway, how to map local innovation ecosystems and the challenges and opportunities that Norwegian social entrepreneurs confront.

Dec 5, 2018
Event
Nov 30, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Promoting Fairness, Equity, and Human Rights in Tech

Perspectives from Europe and the US on a Law and Policy Agenda

VIDEO & PODCAST: A broad overview of the landscape for regulating cutting-edge digital technologies in Europe and the US

Event
Nov 27, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Computer Simulations to Enhance Vaccine Trials

a Digital Health @ Harvard Talk

VIDEO & PODCAST: On the ethics of vaccine trials in emergencies and epidemics, as well as work on computer simulation of vaccine trials

Oct 24, 2018 @ 8:00 AM

Drug Pricing Policies in the United States and Globally

From Development to Delivery

Join us for a one-day conference exploring the current pharmaceutical pricing landscape. This event will bring together leaders from the pharmaceutical industry, policymakers,…

Event
Oct 23, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Automating Inequality

How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor

Podcast & Video: In Automating Inequality, Virginia Eubanks systematically investigates the impacts of data mining, policy algorithms, and predictive risk models on poor and…

Oct 17, 2018 @ 11:00 AM

Achieving Equitable Access to Vaccines

From Policies to Provisions

Julia Barnes-Weise discusses the challenges of achieving equitable access to vaccines in preparation for and in times of outbreak and CEPI’s approach in working towards its…

Event
Oct 16, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Determining Disability

Medicaid work requirements and what the limits of digital health mean for recipients, providers, and states

This year, several states applied for and received permission from the federal government to implement work requirements in their Medicaid programs.  Policy designs vary…

Event
Oct 12, 2018 @ 9:00 AM

Special Event: Big Data, Meager Returns?

A collaborative workshop on Fairness, Sustainability and Data for the Global South

A workshop on automation's promise and challenge for a different future, and the better governance models needed to include the understanding of data as a public asset.

Event
Sep 29, 2018 @ 4:00 PM

NETIZENS

Boston Women's Film Festival

A screening of the film NETIZENS, followed by a panel discussion led by Kendra Albert, a clinical instructional fellow at the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard Law School.

Event
Sep 13, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Data Driven Discrimination

What Is it, and Where Do We Go from Here?

Join Brittny-Jade Saunders ’08, Deputy Commissioner for Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Commission on Human Rights, for a discussion discrimination resulting from the…

News
Aug 1, 2018

Sharing Learning Tools for Youth Digital Life

18 of our open access educational resources for digital literacy are now being translated into over 40 languages

Publication
May 9, 2018

Youth, Digital Transformation, and Forms of Inclusion in Latin America

Book

A reflection on the challenges and opportunities that arise from digital practices by new generations. (en español)

Event
Apr 17, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Honoring All Expertise: Social Responsibility and Ethics in Tech

featuring Kathy Pham & Friends from the Berkman Klein Community

Learn more about social responsibility and ethics in tech from cross functional perspectives featuring social scientists, computer scientists, historians, lawyers, political…

Mar 27, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

Dividing Lines

Why Is Internet Access Still Considered a Luxury in America?

Internet access is a major social and economic justice issue of our time. Dividing Lines, a four-part documentary video series, sheds a light on who is being left behind as big…

Event
Mar 6, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

The Accuracy, Fairness, and Limits of Predicting Recidivism

featuring Julia Dressel

COMPAS is a software used across the country to predict who will commit future crimes. It doesn’t perform any better than untrained people who responded to an online survey.

News
Feb 22, 2018

New Website Draws on International Perspectives to Highlight Issues related to Inclusion and Artificial Intelligence

This new suite of resources aims to establish key themes, questions, and opportunities for ensuring that voices and perspectives from diverse populations help shape the future of…

Publication
Feb 9, 2018

Follow-up Letter to the Members of the Massachusetts Legislature Regarding the Adoption of Actuarial Risk Assessment Tools in the Criminal Justice System

The following open letter — signed by Harvard and MIT-based faculty, staff, and researchers — is directed to the Massachusetts Legislature to inform its consideration of risk…

Publication
Dec 10, 2017

Voices from the Atrato River

Digital Media and Internally Displaced People in Colombia

Andrés Lombana-Bermudez on citizen media and Afro-Colombian youth

Event
Dec 5, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Black Users, Enclaving, and Methodological Challenges in a Shifting Digital Landscape

featuring Sarah Florini, Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies, Department of English Arizona State University

Researchers often consider the technological practices of Black Americans for insight into race and cultural production. But, Black users are regularly at the digital vanguard,…

News
Dec 1, 2017

When a Bot is the Judge

What happens when our criminal justice system uses algorithms to help judges determine bail, sentencing, and parole?

News
Nov 30, 2017

Charting a Roadmap to Ensure AI Benefits All

An international symposium aimed at building capacity and exploring ideas for data democratization and inclusion in the age of AI.

Event
Nov 14, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Digital Justice: Technology and the Internet of Disputes

featuring author Ethan Katsh

Our society is blessed with new technologies yet also burdened with numerous and novel disputes as they are used. In his new book Digital Justice: Technology and the Internet of…

Publication
Nov 9, 2017

An Open Letter to the Members of the Massachusetts Legislature Regarding the Adoption of Actuarial Risk Assessment Tools in the Criminal Justice System

This open letter — signed by Harvard and MIT-based faculty, staff, and researchers— is directed to the Massachusetts Legislature to inform its consideration of risk assessment…

Event
Oct 24, 2017 @ 10:00 AM

Inclusion in Action

Inclusion is a key process for sustaining, developing, and building democratic societies. Crossing multiple social dimensions, inclusion can help to ensure more equal…

Event
Oct 10, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

HUBweek 2017: Programming the Future of AI

Ethics, Governance, and Justice

How do we prepare court systems, judges, lawyers, and defendants to interact with autonomous systems? What are the potential societal costs to human autonomy, dignity, and due…

Event
Sep 28, 2017 @ 4:00 PM

The Computer Says No

The Bad News About Online Discrimination in Algorithmic Systems

Join us at the University of Michigan for a discussion with Solon Barocas, J. Nathan Matias, H. V. Jagadish, and Christian Sandvig on the potential for discrimination and digital…

News
Aug 25, 2017

Algorithms in the Criminal Justice System

Assessing the Use of Risk Assessments in Sentencing

This paper focuses on the incorporation of risk assessment software into the criminal sentencing process, and offers a set of key considerations and questions for further research…

Event
Jul 31, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Trump's ‘America First’ Trade Agenda

What It Means for Access to Medicines

US foreign policy regulates, incentivizes and subsidizes access to medicines for patients around the world, from intellectual property protection and market access commitments in…

Event
Jul 24, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Global Data Flows and the Implications for Health Access in Developing Countries

featuring HLS Professor Mark Wu

What types of policies concerning cross-border data flows should developing countries be adopting and advocating to safeguard their interests, particularly with respect to health…

Event
Jul 11, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Weapons of Math Destruction

How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

Please join us for a timely discussion of the role of data science in public life. All are welcome at this free event open to the public!

Publication
Jul 11, 2017

On the Biomedical Elite: Inequality and Stasis in Scientific Knowledge Production

This report examines the relationship between commonly used metrics and funding levels for investigators funded by the NIH, the largest public funder of biomedical research in the…

News
Jul 10, 2017

The Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund Commits $7.6 Million to Support the Development of AI in the Public Interest

With the Berkman Klein Center and  MIT Media Lab as academic anchor institutions, the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund announced today funding for nine…

Event
Jun 26, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Expanding Access to Medicines and Promoting Innovation

A Practical Approach

Global Access in Action: Conversations in Global Health, Innovation, & the Digital World

Event
Jun 23, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy

with the author, Berkman Klein Center Faculty Associate Tressie McMillan Cottom

A former insider discloses the story behind for-profit schools to explain the exorbitant price tags, the questionable credentials, and the lose-lose options for Americans seeking…

Event
Jun 12, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Potential Uses of Miniature Spectrometers to Mitigate the Health Crisis in Developing Countries

featuring HLS Professor William Fisher

Global Access in Action: Conversations in Global Health, Innovation, & the Digital World

Publication
Jun 6, 2017

Children’s Rights and Digital Technologies:

Introduction to the Discourse and Some Meta-Observations

An introduction to the relatively nascent, but quickly evolving children’s digital rights discourse

News
Jun 1, 2017

AI Advance

A Community Convening at Harvard Law School to advance the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Initiative

Reflecting and engaging on the societal challenges of AI and related technologies

Event
May 23, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Can We Talk?

An Open Forum on Disability, Technology, and Inclusion

This event was co-hosted by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and Harvard Law School Dean of Student's Office, Accessibility…

Apr 25, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Digital Expungement

Rehabilitation in the Digital Age

Can digital technology lead to the extinction of criminal rehabilitation? How should policymakers strike a balance between protecting civil rights and public safety while ensuring…

Event
Apr 19, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

A More Perfect Internet

Promoting Digital Civility and Combating Cyber-Violence

An exploration of issues related to digital incivility with an emphasis on cyber-violence. When digital turns incivil, how does the law respond?

Event
Mar 30, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Using Mobile Phone Data to Map Migration and Disease

Politics, Privacy, and Public Health

Mobile phone data are providing unprecedented insights into human migration and behavior with relevance for containment of epidemics and response to natural disasters, but what…

Publication
Mar 22, 2017

Organization & Structure of Open Source Software Development Initiatives

Challenges & Opportunities Concerning Corporate Formation, Nonprofit Status, & Governance for Open Source Projects

A collection of case studies and organizational models for those who manage and participate in open source development initiatives.

Event
Feb 20, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

The KINGS of Africa’s Digital Economy

Eric Osiakwan, Managing Partner of Chanzo Capital

Eric Osiakwan, Managing Partner of Chanzo Capital, on the KINGS of Africa’s Digital Economy.

Event
Jan 31, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Not Bugs, But Features

Hopeful Institutions and Technologies of Inequality

How did we learn that we need to learn to code—or else? This talk draws on an ethnography of a library system amidst a massive digital transition, tracing how strained public…

Event
Jan 10, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Examining Black Feminism in the Digital Era

with Berkman Klein Fellow, Kishonna L. Gray

Using Black women’s innovative use of digital technologies via the hashtag, via reappropriating imagery, via facebook pages and gaming, Kishonna L. Gray highlights examples…

News
Jan 10, 2017

Berkman Klein Center and MIT Media Lab to Collaborate on the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence

Supported by the Knight Foundation, Omidyar Network, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Hewlett Foundation, and more

Several foundations and funders today announced the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund, which will support interdisciplinary research to ensure that AI develops…

News
Apr 14, 2016

Cyberlaw Clinic and Lumen Project Reps Contribute to Section 512 Study

On April 1st, the Copyright Office closed the initial comment period for a public study undertaken to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the Digital Millennium…

News
Mar 29, 2016

Cyberlaw Clinic FAQ — 2016-17 Registration Starts Soon!

Harvard Law School 1Ls and 2Ls should now be aware that clinical registration for the 2016-17 academic year takes place this week, starting at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 30 and…

Publication
Aug 10, 2015

Designing Successful Governance Groups

Lessons for Leaders from Real-World Examples

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society, together with the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC), is pleased to announce the release of a new publication…

Publication
Jun 6, 2015

Youth Online and News: A Phenomenological View on Diversity

Journal Article

Cortesi, S., & Gasser, U. (2015). Youth online and news: A phenomenological view on diversity. International Journal of Communication. http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article…

Event
Oct 10, 2014 @ 2:00 PM

National Security and Cyberthreats

A Conversation with John Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security

Join Assistant Attorney General for National Security HLS alumnus and Heyman Fellow John Carlin, together with moderator Jonathan Zittrain, for a conversation about significant…

Event
Apr 28, 2014 @ 9:00 AM

Digitally Connected: Harvard

DIGITALLY CONNECTED

On April 28-30, 2014, Berkman and UNICEF co-hosted, in collaboration with PEW Internet, EU Kids Online, the Internet Society (ISOC), Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI…

Publication
Aug 14, 2013

Where Teens Seek Online Privacy Advice

Many teens ages 12-17 report that they usually figure out how to manage content sharing and privacy settings on their own. Focus group interviews with teens suggest that for their…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Fall 2013

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world client counseling, licensing and…

Publication
May 21, 2013

Teens, Social Media, and Privacy

Teens are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites than they have in the past, but they are also taking a variety of technical and non-technical steps to…

Event
May 4, 2013 @ 9:00 AM

Filling the News Gap in Cambridge and Beyond: Citizen Journalism and Grassroots Media

The event will explore the quickly expanding world of citizen journalism: how technology is fueling its growth; how that growth is changing the way we see our world, enact change,…

Publication
Mar 13, 2013

Teens and Technology 2013

Smartphone adoption among American teens has increased substantially and mobile access to the internet is pervasive. One in four teens are “cell-mostly” internet users, who say…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Spring 2013

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world licensing, client counseling, advocacy,…

Course

Music and Digital Media: Seminar - Spring 2013

This course explores a variety of legal issues relating to the creation, exploitation, and protection of music and other content. The seminar focuses on traditional legal regimes…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Winter 2013

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world licensing, client counseling, advocacy,…

Event
Dec 6, 2012 @ 9:30 AM

Symposium on Internet-Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points

Towards a Global Network of Internet and Society Centers

On December 6-8, 2012, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosted an international Symposium on Internet-Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points (SCTP),…

Publication
Nov 20, 2012

Parents, Teens, and Online Privacy

Parents have a range of concerns about how their children’s online activities might affect their privacy and many have taken steps to monitor their children and encourage online…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Fall 2012

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world licensing, client counseling, advocacy,…

Event
Nov 4, 2010 @ 12:00 PM

The Cablevision Case - 2 Years Later: A Conversation About Copyright, Content, and the Cloud

R. David Hosp, Goodwin Procter LLP & Ed Weiss, New England Sports Ventures

The Berkman Center's Cyberlaw Clinic and Harvard Law School's Journal of Law and Technology present a conversation about 2008's landmark "Cablevision" case, in which the Second…

Publication
Jul 29, 2010

Best Practices in the Use of Technology to Facilitate Access to Justice Initiatives

Preliminary Report

The Cyberlaw Clinic undertook this study to help the Massachusetts Trial Court work toward a comprehensive, holistic strategic plan for maximizing technology’s role in the Access…

Publication
Jun 22, 2010

Sexting: Youth Practices and Legal Implications

This document addresses legal and practical issues related to the practice colloquially known as sexting. It was created by Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the…

Publication
Jun 15, 2010

Working Towards a Deeper Understanding of Digital Safety for Children and Young People in Developing Nations

An Exploratory Study by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, in Collaboration with UNICEF

This paper's main objectives are: to raise awareness about issues related to digital safety for youth in developing nations; to provide a tentative map of these issues and give…

Event
Apr 9, 2010 @ 9:00 AM

Symposium: Journalism's Digital Transition: Unique Legal Challenges and Opportunities

The Berkman Center's Citizen Media Law Project and Cyberlaw Clinic are pleased to announce a one-day symposium and CLE program to celebrate the launch of the Online Media Legal…

Publication
Feb 15, 2010

Next Generation Connectivity

A review of broadband Internet transitions and policy from around the world

The FCC announced that the Berkman Center would conduct an independent expert review of existing literature and studies about broadband deployment and usage throughout the world…

Event
Sep 23, 2009 @ 7:00 PM

Communication and Human Development: The Freedom Connection?

Amartya Sen, Michael Spence, Yochai Benkler, Clotilde Fonseca

Nobel Laureates Amartya Sen and Michael Spence joined Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts Yochai Benkler and Clotilde Fonseca in a public discussion of the role…

Publication
May 1, 2009

Youth, Creativity, and Copyright in the Digital Age

This paper describes research findings that show young people operate in the digital realm overwhelmingly ignorant of the rights, and to a lesser degree the restrictions,…

Child Exploitation, Pornography, and the Internet: Seminar - Spring 2009

This course addresses the complex legal, technological, and social questions created by the rapidly increasing distribution of both child and adult pornography on the Internet…

Course

Intellectual Property Law: Advanced - Spring 2009

This course is intended for students who are already familiar with the main contours of intellectual property law and would like to explore the subject further.

Event
Nov 12, 2008 @ 2:00 PM

The Google-Publishers Copyright Lawsuit Settlement

Join Jeffrey Cunard, one of the lead counsel for McGraw Hill and other publishers in their landmark copyright lawsuit against Google for its Google Library book search project, as…

Event
Sep 25, 2008 @ 6:30 PM

Giant Robots, Circumvention, and the Digital Millenium Copyright Act

StorageTek v. CHE, a technical talk by Christian Hicks, Elysium Digital

Christian Hicks, founder of Elysium Digital, discussed the case StorageTek v. CHE. This talk was co-sponsored by the Berkman Cyberlaw Clinic, the Harvard Computer Society, and the…

Event
Sep 23, 2008 @ 8:00 PM

Born Digital (Cambridge Book Talk & Reception)

by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

The Berkman Center celebrated the release of John Palfrey and Urs Gasser's "Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives" at Harvard Law School.

Publication
Sep 1, 2008

Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

Based on original research and advancing new theories, leading internet and technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser offer a sociological portrait of the 'Born Digital'…

Course

CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion - Fall 2008

This year's Cyberone will begin with empathic argument and programming from scratch, then segue immediately to projects.

Course

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2008

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

Course

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2007

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

Event
Feb 20, 2007 @ 12:30 PM

Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice in Jamaica

Charles Nesson and Kevin Wallen

Charles Nesson and Kevin Wallen on "Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice in Jamaica."

Event
Jan 23, 2006 @ 12:30 PM

Jamaica & Restorative Justice

Charlie Nesson & Members of his Evidence Class

Charles Nesson & members of his Evidence class on their Jamaica work & restorative justice focusing out countries hurt by globalization.

Publication
Nov 1, 2003

Andean Readiness for the Networked World, Introduction and Regional Overview

Information and communications technologies (ICT) can be a valuable resource for helping the Andean region meet its core challenges of creating more economic opportunity, better…


Community 160

Tech Policy Press

The Weaponization of Things

Israel’s Techno-Violence, A Litmus Test for Technologists

The military tactics used within Palestine and Lebanon demand a reckoning with the "normalization of techno-terror."

Nov 4, 2024
SSRN

Prediction and Punishment

Critical Report on Carceral AI

Dasha Pruss, Petra Molnar, and Marissa Gerchick critique carceral uses of AI and offer suggestions for mitigating this technology's use.

Nov 1, 2024
SEAS Newsletter

Integrating traditional and academic knowledge

SEAS symposium explores engineering contributions of Indigenous peoples

Fellow Francisco Marmolejo-Cossío participated in a recent SEAS Symposium on Indigenous approaches to engineering.

Oct 29, 2024
Tech Policy Press

The Critical Role of Research in the Fight for Algorithmic Accountability

Marissa Gerchick and Olga Askelrod detail the ACLU's complaints against Aon, a hiring technology company.

Oct 23, 2024
Technology in Society

Digital Natives, Digital Activists in Non-Digital Environments

How the Youth in Zambia Use Mundane Technology to Circumvent Government Surveillance and Censorship.

Greg Gondwe explores Zambian youth's sophisticated digital activism in the wake of the 2020 youth protests.

Oct 21, 2024
The Harvard Gazette

Are rich different from you and me? Would we be better off without them?

Safra Center for Ethics debate weighs extreme wealth, philanthropy, income inequality, and redistribution

Nien-hê Hsieh considers the conditions under which mega-wealth might be permissible.

Oct 18, 2024
The Washington Post

Black women say dating apps like Hinge are biased. Now some are testing it.

Apryl Williams' research on Black women's experiences on - and by - dating apps reveals algorithmic biases.

Oct 3, 2024
Georgetown Law Journal

Artificial Intelligence, Afrofuturism, and Economic Justice

Ifeoma Ajunwa argues that we can apply Afrofuturist principles to ensure that AI is being harnessed for the collective good.

Sep 24, 2024
Arxiv

Reporting Non-Consensual Intimate Media

An Audit Study of Deepfakes

Eric Gilbert and coauthors use AI-generated nude images to test whether X's takedown algorithms take non-consensual intimate media seriously.

Sep 18, 2024
Common Sense Media

The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School

In a newly-published reporta, Alexa Hasse illustrates the roles that generative AI software plays in teens' and parents' lives, and advocates for maintaining open communication…

Sep 18, 2024
Nieman Lab

Want to fight misinformation? Teach people how algorithms work

Sociodemographic data bears on algorithmic literacy.

Sep 4, 2024
Harvard Kennedy School

A Hacker's Mind

HKS's Behind the Book series covers Bruce Schneier's latest work.

Aug 30, 2024
British Vogue

Forces for Change

The Cyberlaw Clinic's Alejandra Caraballo was nominated as a British Vogue Force for Change.

Aug 26, 2024
Tech Policy Press

The Future is Analog (if You Can Afford It)

"Analog is back," writes Maroussia Lévesque, arguing that the ability to bypass digital technology reflects an inherent privilege akin to a sort of exceptionalism.

Aug 23, 2024
VISIBLE Magazine

Cyberbullying Imane Khelif Is an Injustice To All Women

Ibtissam Bouachrine highlights the dangers of the targeted misogynistic and transphobic campaign against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Aug 8, 2024
Coyote Chronicle

Women Journalists Face Increased Online Violence

Presenting at CSU, San Bernardino, Elodie Vialle highlights the risks of allowing harassment and violence against journalists to go unchecked.

Jul 22, 2024
Computer Says Maybe

What the FAccT? Evidence of bias. Now what?

Dasha Pruss and co-author Marta Ziosi discuss their paper, "“Evidence of What, for Whom? The Socially Contested Role of Algorithmic Bias in a Predictive Policing Tool."

Jul 12, 2024
Duke University Press

Indie Porn

Revolution, Regulation, and Resistance

Zahra Stardust's new book is now available for pre-order from Duke University Press.

Jul 4, 2024
Harvard Business Review

How Micro-Choices and Games Motivate Gig Workers

Lindsey Cameron writes about gig workers' agency.

Jun 21, 2024
The Regulatory Review

Is AI-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence the Next Pandemic?

"The rise of deep fakes and other AI-generated misinformation presents a direct threat to women’s freedom."

May 6, 2024
The New York Times

I Love Facebook. That’s Why I’m Suing Meta.

Ethan Zuckerman discusses his decision to sue Meta.

May 5, 2024
Open Global Rights

“Nothing about us without us”: People on the move interrogate border tech with the Migration and Technology Monitor

BKC Faculty Associate Petra Molnar advocates for prioritizing the meaningful participation by individuals with lived experiences at border crossings in conversations around border…

Apr 5, 2024
The Harvard Gazette

How dating sites automate racism

Apryl Williams joined BKC for an event on her new book about algorithmic bias in online dating apps.

Apr 4, 2024
The Harvard Gazette

Why AI fairness conversations must include disabled people

Maitreya Shah spoke about his work centering experiences of people with disabilities. 

Apr 3, 2024
Atlanta Community Press Collective

Atlanta Police Foundation pushed ‘unprecedented’ surveillance plan

Clinical Instructor and Director for the Initiative for a Representative First Amendment Kendra Albert rebukes Atlanta Police Foundation's invasive individual electronic…

Apr 1, 2024
Jacobin

The Grim High-Tech Dystopia on the US-Mexico Border

Petra Molnar writes about the AI technology incorporated at the southern border and the human rights implications.

Mar 28, 2024
Tech Policy Press

Policies vs. Enforcement: What’s Up with Meta’s Platforming of Violent Extremist Hate Account “Libs of TikTok”?

Alejandra Caraballo criticizes Meta's lack of enforcement of the company's own bullying, harassment, and hate speech policies.

Mar 21, 2024
Tech Policy Press

Breaking the Silence: Marginalized Voices in the Tech Industry

Read about Nadah Feteih and Anika Collier Novaroli's conversation at the Berkman Klein Center on marginalized voices in the tech industry.

Mar 18, 2024
WGBH

A year of 'wins' for Asian American representation in movies and TV

BKC Affiliate Jenny Korn discusses the focus on the intersectional identities of Asians in media from last year.

Mar 1, 2024
Digital Journalism

Artificial Intelligence, Journalism, and the Ubuntu Robot in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a Normative Framework

BKC Faculty Associate Greg Gondwe's new study investigates the integration of Ubuntu philosophy into AI-driven journalism practices in Subs-Saharan Africa.

Mar 1, 2024
2023 Gender and Health Hub Virtual Forum run by the UN University Institute for Global Health

Digital Justice and Sexual and Reproductive Rights

Feb 22, 2024
Philosophies

The Rise of Particulars

AI and the Ethics of Care

David Weinberger views machine learning through a feminist ethical framework.

Feb 16, 2024
TIME

When Love and the Algorithm Don’t Mix

Apryl Williams describes dating app algorithms as a reinforcer of longstanding racial biases that privilege whiteness and deprioritize matching women of color.

Feb 14, 2024
ACLU.org

When it Comes to Facial Recognition, There is No Such Thing as a Magic Number

BKC Affiliate Marissa Gerchick and Matt Cagle argue that facial recognition test scores mislead communities about the technology's harms.

Feb 7, 2024
Spotify

Uncommon Naledge Episode 13

BKC Faculty Associate Jabari Evans welcomes RSM Visiting Scholar David Craig to his podcast to discuss the implications of race, class, and gender in the burgeoning field of…

Jan 26, 2024
PBS

Rising malpractice premiums push small clinics away from gender-affirming care for minors

Clinical Instructor Alejandra Caraballo comments on the decreasing availability of gender-affirming care for minors. 

Jan 20, 2024
Rolling Stone

Oversight Board Calls Out Meta for ‘Failing’ to Protect LGBTQ People Online

Clinical Instructor Alejandra Caraballo discusses the Meta Oversight Board's finding that Meta has failed to protect LGBTQ people online.

Jan 16, 2024
Harvard Law Today

Addressing the epidemic of high drug prices

Ruth Okediji discusses the Biden administration's recent proposal to use federal "march-in" rights to lower drug costs.

Jan 5, 2024
Sage Journals

Safety for Whom? Investigating How Platforms Frame and Perform Safety and Harm Interventions

Zahra Stardust and collaborators investigate how social media platforms frame and perform safety and harm interventions.

Dec 15, 2023
CNN

Experts call for more diversity to combat bias in artificial intelligence

Andres Lombana-Bermudez, Faculty Associate at BKC, discusses the issue of lack of diversity and representation in technology fields.

Dec 15, 2023
CNN

Experts call for more diversity to combat bias in artificial intelligence

Andres Lombana-Bermudez spoke to CNN about how more diversity can help to combat bias in AI

Dec 15, 2023
Teen Vogue

"Right to Be Forgotten" Bill to Be Introduced in Maryland to Protect Children of Influencers

Leah Plunkett speaks to Teen Vogue about the new "Right to Be Forgotten" bill introduced in Maryland to protect child influencers. 

Dec 15, 2023
YouTube

Centering Disability in AI, One Year After the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights

Maitreya Shah joins a Center for Democracy and Technology Panel on centering disability rights in discussions of AI policy.

Dec 1, 2023
Medium

Building Knowledge about Generative AI with Mobile Populations

BKC Faculty Associate Petra Molnar challenges us to consider the potential impact of generative AI on the surveillance of borders and of migrants.

Nov 2, 2023
RefugeE Studies Center's Youtube

The use of new technologies in immigration and asylum governance: implications for human rights

BKC Faculty Associate Petra Molnar joins the RefugeE Studies Center to discuss how the use of new technologies in immigration and asylum governance affect human rights. 

Oct 26, 2023
LPE Project

Towards a Legal Understanding of Social Data

BKC Faculty Associate Salomé Viljoen and collaborator Amanda Parsons, explain why current laws are not well equipped to confront problems generated by the rise of informational…

Oct 9, 2023
Feminist Media Studies

The invisible women: uncovering gender bias in AI-generated images of professionals

Anna M. Gorska and BKC Faculty Associate Dariusz Jemielniak release a study on gender bias in AI-generated images of professionals. 

Sep 21, 2023
Taylor & Francis Online

Queer and feminist reflections on sextech

With collaborators, Zahra Stardust presents a brief overview of recent literature and popular commentary, including suggestions for new research agendas in the sextech sphere.

Sep 15, 2023
POLITICO

Bias in AI is real. But it doesn’t have to exist.

BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury shares thoughts about her hopes and fears for AI.

Jul 14, 2023
New Media & Society

Sex tech entrepreneurs: Governing intimate data in start-up culture

BKC Affiliate Zahra Stardust writes about the data governance approach of prospective sextech industry professionals.

Jul 11, 2023
City University of New York Law Review

High Risk Hustling: Payment Processors Sexual Proxies and Discrimination by Design

BKC Affiliate Zahra Stardust writes about the financial discrimination and barriers to digital financial infrastructure faced by sex workers.

Jul 11, 2023
The Seattle TImes

Why FTC’s child privacy push costs Seattle’s biggest employers millions

BKC Faculty Associate Leah Plunkett comments on children's privacy rights.

Jul 2, 2023
CNBC

A.I. has a discrimination problem. In banking, the consequences can be severe

BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury comments on how the AI systems in banking are biased against marginalized communities.

Jun 23, 2023
Tech Policy Press

How to Assess Platform Impact on Mental Health and Civic Norms

BKC Affiliate Nathaniel Lubin writes about methods and approaches of evaluating effects of digital platforms on mental health.

Jun 22, 2023
The Hill

Artificial intelligence doesn’t have to be inhumane

Sue Hendrickson and BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury write about the role of global governance alongside the development of AI.

Jun 14, 2023
Kotaku

The Brilliant Scholar Who’s Challenging Racism In Game Design

BKC Faculty Associate Kishonna Gray and her work studying race and gender in gaming are profiled by Kotaku.  

Jun 2, 2023
WIRED

There Will Never Be Another Twitter

BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman discusses the fate of Twitter and the future of digital public squares.

May 31, 2023
WIRED

Unfair Automated Hiring Systems Are Everywhere

BKC Faculty Associate Ifeoma Ajunwa writes about how algorithms can exacerbate employment discrimination.

May 15, 2023
The Indian Express

A call for algorithmic justice for SC/STs

BKC Affiliate Siva Mathiyazhagan writes about the need to eradicate caste and to build a safe, inclusive, just digital India.

May 14, 2023
Electronic Frontier Foundation

Podcast Episode: Safer Sex Work Makes a Safer Internet

Clinical instructor at the Cyberlaw Clinic Kendra Albert discusses how an internet that is safe for sex workers is an internet that is safer for everyone.

Apr 18, 2023
NBC News

Twitter quietly changes its hateful conduct policy to remove standing protections for its transgender users

Clinical instructor at the Cyberlaw Clinic Alejandra Caraballo comments on changes to Twitter's content moderation rules and enforcement since Elon Musk's takeover.

Apr 18, 2023
The Crimson

Journalists and Activists Discuss Gender-Based Harassment at Harvard Berkman Klein Center Panel

BKC Research Assistant Pratika Katiyar was featured on a panel hosted by BKC discussing gender-based harassment.

Mar 27, 2023
NBC News

Grindr sends Egypt users a warning after alleged entrapments and arrests

BKC Affiliate Afsaneh Rigot comments on the arrests of LGBTQ+ people in Egypt.

Mar 23, 2023
GBH News

Has Asian representation in film improved with ‘Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’?

BKC Affiliate Jenny Korn sits down with GBH News to discuss whether the success of “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” means that opportunities for Asian actors have paid off.

Mar 10, 2023
United Nations OHCHR

Stories on racial justice give power of memory to the slain

BKC affiliate Leonard Cortana was profiled by United Nations Human Rights for his work in human rights.

Mar 10, 2023
Nelson Mandela Foundation News

Teaching the legacy of Dulcie September and other assassinated anti-racist figures of resistance as poetry for collective liberation

"They erased Dulcie September, who remained a name in schools, streets, and cultural centers but nothing about her intellectual production and incredible life story as an anti…

Feb 22, 2023
Computer Weekly

New Border Force unit to deploy more surveillance tech in Channel

"Instead of investing in costly technologies, governments could be using this money to strengthen access to justice, services and psycho-social support for people who are…

Feb 9, 2023
CBC

Designing tech for the most vulnerable users leads to better products for all, says researcher

BKC Affiliate Afsaneh Rigot is quoted discussing the need to design technology for the groups of people who are most marginalized and impacted by the design.

Feb 3, 2023
Petra Molnar

Technologies of Violence at the World's Sharpest Edges

BKC Faculty Associate Petra Molnar writes about new technologies of border management. “But when we really drill down, none of these conversations are just about technology. We…

Jan 5, 2023
WIRED

For Black Folks, Digital Migration Is Nothing New

Kishonna Gray discusses digital migration and Black Twitter with Chris Gilliard.

"Twitter changed leadership from one mercurial billionaire to another, and in that regard it affirms that the site was never 'ours'..."

Dec 13, 2022
Texas Law Review

Self-Regulating Platforms and Anti-Trust Justice

BKC Affiliate Elettra Bietti explores the distinctions and assumptions around platforms' functioning in markets. 

Dec 8, 2022
The New York Times

Africa Is Waiting for What You Promised, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey

Ifeoma Ajunwa reflects on the lack of benefits seen in Africa despite massive investments by tech billionaires with grandiose visions.

"A worry still is that these nations will never see any true benefits from tech investments until tech investors address the lack of the basic infrastructure necessary to support…

Dec 1, 2022
Philosophy & Technology

Escaping the Impossibility of Fairness: From Formal to Substantive Algorithmic Fairness

BKC Faculty Associate Ben Green writes about the challenge of creating equitable policy reforms around algorithmic fairness.

Oct 8, 2022
The New York Times

Big Tech Should Support the Iranian People, Not the Regime

BKC Affiliate Afsaneh Rigot and Kendra Albert write about Big Tech and how they should support the Iranian people. "Expanded services...are no longer hindered by sanctions…

Sep 30, 2022
ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society

Manifesto for Sex Positive Social Media

Zahra Stardust and collaborators set out seven demands for platforms, governments, and policymakers.

As part of her Berkman Klein fellowship, Zahra Stardust organized a Community Lab at RightsCon 2021 on "Alternative Frameworks for Sexual Content Moderation." The Lab was…

Aug 31, 2022
Monash University Law Review

Positive Potential: How Sex Positivity Can Benefit Legal Thinking and Sex Work Regulation in Australia

BKC Affiliate Zahra Stardust writes about the value of sex positivity as a framework for thinking about law.

Aug 18, 2022
Patterns

Sex trouble: Sex/gender slippage, sex confusion, and sex obsession in machine learning using electronic health records

Kendra Albert writes about how researchers should handle sex/gender variables in different contexts like medicine, and the different pitfalls researchers may fall into. “False…

Aug 12, 2022
University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

Bomb Body Politics: On the TSA's Algorithmic Policing of Gender

"Long before FAccT or ProPublica’s COMPAS reporting or Andrew Ferguson's book, the Department of Homeland Security was using sexist, racist algorithms to determine who to subject…

Jul 27, 2022
Wired

If Tech Fails to Design for the Most Vulnerable, It Fails Us All

Afsaneh Rigot connects Telegram in Russia, Elon Musk’s Twitter plans, and threats to abortion access and safety...

May 15, 2022
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Design From the Margins

Centering the most marginalized and impacted in design processes—from ideation to production

This report outlines how Design From the Margins can be used to build technologies for decentered cases from the beginning of the design process…

May 13, 2022
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Don’t Call Us Edge Cases – Designing From the Margins

Afsaneh Rigot explains why Design from the Margins is necessary and salutary...

Feb 4, 2022
OpenGlobalRights

Datafication & the Future of Human Rights Practice

Juan Ortiz Freuler explores how datafication could impact human rights practice.

Jan 21, 2022
Centre for International Governance Innovation

Why a Little-Known Blockchain-Based Identity Project in Ethiopia Should Concern Us All

Elizabeth Renieris assesses a national ID scheme developing in Ethiopia amid the country’s civil war.

Dec 7, 2021
Journal of Social Computing

Connecting Race to Ethics Related to Technology: A Call for Critical Tech Ethics

Jenny Korn pushes for the creation of "critical tech ethics" as a way to improve technologies, including the Internet, and reduce the propagation of ongoing racial injustices.

Dec 1, 2021
Journal of Social Computing

Algorithmic Silence: A Call to Decomputerize

Jonnie Penn writes that tech critics should be wary of naturalizing a dependency on digital tools.

Dec 1, 2021
metaLAB (at) Harvard

#MeToo Anti-Network

A metaLAB (at) Harvard project illustrates how a movement such as #MeToo is constituted by masses of unobserved tweets.

Nov 23, 2021
OpenGlobalRights

What a datafied worldview means for human rights

Juan Ortiz Freuler sketches the challenges of datafication for human rights.

Nov 22, 2021
Just Tech

Trends in Mobile Journalism: Bearing Witness, Building Movements, and Crafting Counternarratives

Allissa Richardson examines how African American mobile journalism became a model for marginalized people’s political communication across the United States.

Nov 17, 2021
Porn Studies

Automating whorephobia: sex, technology and the violence of deplatforming

Zahra Stardust interviews Danielle Blunt about the prevalence of algorithmic biases against sex work.

Nov 2, 2021
Money

Cyberbullying Insurance Is for Real. Here’s What it Covers

Sameer Hinduja shares insight on the psychological damage that online harassment can inflict on victims — and the limitations of cyberbullying insurance.

Sep 24, 2021
Autonomy

Sex work, automation and the post-work imaginary

Zahra Stardust and Helen Hester envision a post-work future that is more equitable for sex workers.

Sep 13, 2021
Women in Higher Education

Researching Gaming and Showing Why Citations Matter

Kishonna Gray shares her journey engaging digital studies and Black studies. 

Aug 3, 2021
Mic

Are your dating preferences racist?

Apryl Williams shares the ways in which race underlies much of online life.

Jul 1, 2021
CNN

People of color have a new fight: techno-racism

Mutale Nkonde discusses techno-racism and facial recognition software with CNN.

May 11, 2021
WBUR

Stop Showing Violent Police Videos

Allissa Richardson interviewed by WBUR

May 6, 2021
Harvard Law Today

Waiving COVID vaccine patent rights? It’s complicated

Terry Fisher and Ruth Okediji propose changes to bolster global south’s ability to produce pharmaceuticals

May 4, 2021
Slate

The Verdict, the Video, and the Unreasonable Burden of Proof

Allissa Richardson joins Slate’s Amicus podcast

Apr 24, 2021
Vox

We have enough proof

Allissa Richardson argues against sharing videos of violent police encounters in an op-ed for Vox.

Apr 21, 2021
Amanpour and Company

From Plato to Present: Tracing the Roots of American Justice

Danielle Allen joins Amanpour and Company to discuss American Justice.

Apr 21, 2021
WUSA9

Here's why one journalism professor argues graphic video of Black deaths shouldn't be broadcast

Dr. Allissa Richardson spoke with WUSA9 about having Black deaths aired on TV

Apr 21, 2021
Council on Foreign Relations

Technology and Youth Represent Nigeria’s Path Out of the Woods

Tunde Okunoye discusses the roles of Nigerian youth and technology in a post for the Council on Foreign Relations.

Apr 12, 2021
BKC Medium Collection

‘There has been less of a buffer’: discussing intimate partner violence during the pandemic

Berkman Klein Center event explores how technology factors into pandemic response

Mar 29, 2021
Harvard Law Today

How ‘digital witnesses’ are documenting history and challenging the status quo

Three community members discuss how young Black people use technology for activism around the world

Mar 18, 2021
HBS Digital Initiative

Brandeis Marshall on the potential for data equity

Brandeis Marshall interviewed by Harvard Business School’s Digital Initiative

Feb 22, 2021
BKC Medium Collection

Movement Lawyering for Alternative Futures

Five community members speak about their vexed relationships to the law

Jan 4, 2021
MIT News

Straight talk about race in academia

James Mickens participates in MIT-hosted panel about ongoing challenges for Black scholars

Dec 8, 2020
Ms Magazine

How COVID-19 Could Enable the Inclusion of Women in the Workplace

Ifeoma Ajunwa outlines three reasons why COVID-19 could help the future inclusion of women in the workplace

Nov 20, 2020
Forbes

The COVID-19 Crisis Could Be A Bane Or A Boon For The Inclusion Of Women In The Workplace

Ifeoma Ajunwa on why she thinks the pandemic could benefit the future inclusion of women in the workplace

Nov 6, 2020
BKC Medium Collection

Data for better lives

Babatunde Okunoye writes about an agenda for meaningful connectivity in Africa

Oct 27, 2020
The Guardian

A double-edged sword: hopes and fears for children as fast internet reaches Pacific

Amanda Third and colleagues produce report on online safety in the Pacific.

Oct 19, 2020
The Bay State Banner

ACLU calls attention to Mass. police shootings

Lauren Chambers discusses an ACLU map that highlights incidents of police violence.

Sep 30, 2020
NiemanLab

Allissa Richardson thinks it’s time to shatter a few myths about citizen journalism

Allissa Richardson discusses her new book and the myth of objective journalism

Sep 28, 2020
GBH

A 2020 Roundup Of Asian Representation In Film And TV

Jenny Korn discusses Asian representation in film and TV in 2020

Sep 25, 2020
IJNotes

Mental health and journalism

Allissa Richardson on mental health of Black journalists covering the anti-police brutality and Black Lives Matter protests

Sep 11, 2020
GovTech

MacArthur Foundation Invests $1.6M in Equitable COVID Tech

Urs Gasser discusses the BKC Policy Practice: Digital Pandemic Response

Sep 9, 2020
Forbes

10 Reasons Why Anti-Racism Training Is Not The Problem

Ifeoma Ajunwa shares her thoughts on anti-racism training

Sep 5, 2020
The Conversation

The tech field failed a 25-year challenge to achieve gender equality by 2020 – culture change is key to getting on track

Francine Berman shares her personal story in tech, and how the field can change

Aug 26, 2020
Al Jazeera

Data collection is not the solution for Europe's racism problem

Structural racism can be combatted only if there is political will, not more data.

Jul 29, 2020
New Books in Technology

Interview: Design Justice

Sasha Costanza-Chock discusses their book Design Justice on New Books in Technology

Jul 27, 2020
Tech Won't Save Us

The Global South Holds a Better Future of Tech

Juan Ortiz Freuler joins “Tech Won’t Save Us” podcast

Jul 18, 2020
UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry

Human Rights Racial Equality & New Information Technologies

Human Rights Racial Equality & New Information Technologies

Jul 8, 2020
BKC Medium Collection

Ken and Karen are White Supremacists

Apryl Williams explains that although memes are humorous, Karens and Kens of the world express a dangerous, audacious kind of White supremacy

Jul 1, 2020
The Harvard Gazette

Fatal encounters with police

‘Their Names’ project gathers the stories of 28,000 people, from Jan. 1, 2000, to George Floyd

Jun 26, 2020
Digital Freedom Fund

The Grave and Growing Dangers of Border Surveillance

Technological systems should be reimagined to include the needs and the rights of refugees, Dragana Kaurin argues.

Jun 20, 2020
Detroit Today

White People: Learn How To Become Better Allies

Apryl Williams discusses how white allies can express solidarity without centering the conversations on themselves.

Jun 11, 2020
Ideas on Fire Podcast

Imagine Otherwise: Sasha Costanza-Chock on Design Justice

How can putting marginalized people at the very center of design and technology change the world for the better?

Feb 19, 2020
VentureBeat

AI ethics is all about power

Mutale Nkonde suggests tech and AI companies embrace racial literacy

Nov 11, 2019
Public Books

Designing AI with Justice

How the design of sociotechnical systems can be one means of dismantling or transforming systems of oppression

Oct 23, 2019

Technical Flaws of Pretrial Risk Assessments Raise Grave Concerns

Twenty-seven prominent researchers from MIT, Harvard, Princeton, NYU, UC Berkeley and Columbia have signed an open statement of concern regarding the use of actuarial risk…

Jul 17, 2019
Harvard Law Today

The hidden labor supporting algorithms

“Ghost Work” reveals labor structures masked by technology

Jul 3, 2019
Valor.com.br

New meanings of the term "digital inclusion"

What is the impact of digital technologies on deep-rooted Brazilian inequalities?

Jun 12, 2019
Columbia News

Using Twitter to Predict Gang Violence

Desmond Patton says law enforcement officials should analyze social media posts about grief and stress to prevent violent crime among young people.

May 30, 2019
GeekWire

‘Ghost Work’ explores the ups and mostly downs of the hidden gig economy

Siddharth Suri and BKC’s Mary Gray discuss their book “Ghost Work” with GeekWire

May 14, 2019
KCTS 9

Technology to Combat Authoritarianism

Localization Lab founder and Berkman Klein fellow Dragana Kaurin talks about communication tools to protect refugees, journalists, and human rights activists.

May 13, 2019
Washington Post

The hidden global workforce that is still fighting for an eight-hour workday

Millions of workers are doing on-demand work to keep the Internet running smoothly, and they are now fighting for similar rights that full-time employees won decades ago.

Apr 30, 2019
Sabelo.io

God in the image of white men: Creation myths, power asymmetries and AI

Dismantling inequality in AI with marginalized voices in leadership

Mar 29, 2019
Medium

Why AI Needs Social Workers and “non-tech” Folks

Incorporating social work and values into community-based AI research

Mar 24, 2019
Medium

The Ability to Say NO On the Internet

A feminist approach to consent in digital technologies

Feminist research and bridging conversations about consent

Mar 8, 2019
BKC Medium

Reclaiming the Data Commons

A critical perspective on this emerging notion of the data commons

Mar 6, 2019
MacArthur Foundation

John Palfrey Named New MacArthur President

“I am an optimist, who believes that creativity, rigor, and selective disruption can make outsized social impact possible."

Mar 5, 2019
Medium

Digital rights are *all* human rights, not just civil and political

The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights consults with the field

Bringing into focus the impact that new technologies can have on socio-economic, civil and political rights

Feb 27, 2019
sabelo.io

The culture of self-similarity

A fractal philosophy for a better internet

As internet technology continues to be an important part of humanity’s lived experience, humanity as a whole must be empowered to dictate their desired experience.

Feb 6, 2019
News

Exploring Social Innovation in Norway

A Workshop on Mapping Innovation Ecosystems

What we learned about social innovation in Norway, how to map local innovation ecosystems and the challenges and opportunities that Norwegian social entrepreneurs confront.

Dec 5, 2018
Forbes

Why AI Needs To Reflect Society

Greater diversity within research communities can control for bias in this process.

Nov 29, 2018
scholar.harvard.edu

Disparate Interactions: An Algorithm-in-the-Loop Analysis of Fairness in Risk Assessments

How do people respond to the predictions made by pretrial risk assessments?

Nov 29, 2018
Digital HKS

Big Data, Meager returns?

There is no easy fix to the asymmetries existing between developing and developed countries.

Nov 28, 2018
Cosmolocalism

Cosmolocalism in a nutshell

Vasilis Kostakis describes sustainable, commons-based design and manufacture in prosthetics & in agricultural machinery for small farms.

Nov 15, 2018
Harvard Law Today

Algorithms and their unintended consequences for the poor

Algorithms may be intended to have a positive impact, but what happens when the opposite occurs?

Nov 7, 2018
Voice of America

VR Project Highlights Social Media Policing

Police gather on social media in order to prevent and investigate criminal activity. But the clues found within aren't always conclusive

Nov 6, 2018
arXiv.org

Data Science as Political Action

Grounding Data Science in a Politics of Justice

"Data scientists must recognize themselves as political actors and adopt an explicit politics of social justice."

Nov 6, 2018
Podcast

How Youth Are Reinventing Instagram and Why Having Multiple Accounts Is Trending

Our Youth & Media team looked at how teens are using social media to figure out who they are.

Nov 2, 2018
Design Use Build

Why organizational culture matters for online groups

World of Warcraft and the study of online communities

Oct 22, 2018
UC Irvine Law Review

Wicked Crypto

Government access to encrypted data is best conceptualized as a "wicked problem": one where the goals are unclear, the information is incomplete, and the solutions are always…

Oct 9, 2018
Design Use Build

What we lose when we move from social to market exchange

The shift away from social exchange and toward markets, and what this means for the sharing economy

Oct 9, 2018
WINS

Wind is a Mozilla & National Science Foundation Grand Prize Winner

A service providing off-grid communications services to everyday people received the grand prize at the Wireless Innovation for a Networked Society (WINS) Challenge from Mozilla…

Sep 26, 2018
Medium

Dealing with an epidemic

Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best

Examining the unique socio-economic characteristics that affect how Small Islands States cope with health epidemics.

Aug 8, 2018
Video

The Geographic Opportunities and Challenges of AI

Malavika Jayaram of the Digital Asia Hub

Malavika Jayaram discusses the language we use to talk about Artificial Intelligence, and the impact of AI in Asia.

Jan 11, 2017
Video

AI Threats to Civil Liberties and Democracy

Chinmayi Arun of the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University, Delhi

Chinmayi Arun discusses the challenges unchecked AI development could pose to civil liberties in Asia.

Jan 11, 2017

Projects, Programs, and Tools 20

Global Access in Action

Global Access in Action, a project of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, conducts action-oriented research into access to lifesaving medicines,…

Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers

A collaborative initiative focused on interdisciplinary research on the development, social impact, policy implications, and legal issues concerning the Internet.

AI: Global Governance and Inclusion

In a world challenged by growing domestic and international inequalities, policymakers face hard problems and difficult choices when dealing with AI systems.

Child Exploitation, Pornography, and the Internet: Seminar - Spring 2009

This course addresses the complex legal, technological, and social questions created by the rapidly increasing distribution of both child and adult pornography on the Internet…

Course

CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion - Fall 2008

This year's Cyberone will begin with empathic argument and programming from scratch, then segue immediately to projects.

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Fall 2012

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world licensing, client counseling, advocacy,…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Fall 2013

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world client counseling, licensing and…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Spring 2013

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world licensing, client counseling, advocacy,…

Course

Cyberlaw Clinic - Winter 2013

The Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, engages Harvard Law School students in a wide range of real-world licensing, client counseling, advocacy,…

Harmful Speech Online

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society is in the third year of a research, policy analysis, and network building effort devoted to the study of harmful speech, in close…

Course

Intellectual Property Law: Advanced - Spring 2009

This course is intended for students who are already familiar with the main contours of intellectual property law and would like to explore the subject further.

Past

International Technologies Group

The Information Technologies Group is a global thought leader in the area of ICTs and development. We endeavor to translate cutting edge thinking about how ICTs can improve…

Past

Jamaica Project

True to the Berkman Klein Center’s expansive interest in the interaction between internet and society, the Jamaica project’s mission centers on the use of the internet to shape,…

Municipal Fiber Initiative

Fiber optic networks are essential infrastructure for businesses, schools, government offices, and homes. But should your town, city, or municipal electric utility directly build…

Course

Music and Digital Media: Seminar - Spring 2013

This course explores a variety of legal issues relating to the creation, exploitation, and protection of music and other content. The seminar focuses on traditional legal regimes…

Past

Open Economies

Open Economies is a policy center created to support developing nations as they embrace digital technology and digitally enabled entrepreneurship as a means to economic and social…

Course

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2007

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

Course

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2008

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

Past

Responsive Communities

Responsive Communities addresses issues of social justice, civil liberties, and economic development involving Internet access and government use of data.

Past

Web Integrity Project

The Web Integrity Project (WIP) monitors changes to government websites


People 106

Santiago Amador

Faculty Associate

Dave Arney

Faculty Associate

Margo Bagley

Faculty Associate

Solon Barocas

Faculty Associate

Fernando Bermejo

Faculty Associate

Lauren Emily Bridges

Faculty Associate

Lionel Brossi

Faculty Associate

Afua Bruce

Affiliate

Ana Castillo

Faculty Associate

Huili Chen

Affiliate

Daniel L. Chen

Faculty Associate

Aymar Jean Christian

Visting Scholar

Wendy Chun

Faculty Associate

Myojung Chung

Visting Scholar

Meredith Clark

Faculty Associate

Nick Couldry

Faculty Associate

Judith Donath

Faculty Associate

Brenda Dvoskin

Faculty Associate

Ben Eidelson

Faculty Associate

Rob Eschmann

Faculty Associate

Jeannette Estruth

Faculty Associate

Nadah Feteih

Affiliate

Mayo Fuster Morell

Faculty Associate

Urs Gasser

Director

Mary Gray

Faculty Associate

Kishonna Gray

Faculty Associate

Ben Green

Faculty Associate

Houman Harouni

Faculty Associate

Samer Hassan

Faculty Associate

Jérôme Hergueux

Faculty Associate

Seiji Isotani

Faculty Associate

Malavika Jayaram

Faculty Associate

Mehtab Khan

Faculty Associate

Jenny Korn

Affiliate

VIvek Krishnamurthy

Faculty Associate

Crystal Lee

Faculty Associate

Harry Lewis

Faculty Associate

Ava Liu

Fellow

Andres Lombana-Bermudez

Faculty Associate

Jenn Louie

Affiliate

Colin Maclay

Faculty Associate

Jasmine McNealy

Faculty Associate

Stefania Milan

Faculty Associate

Petra Molnar

Faculty Associate

Brian Michael Murphy

Faculty Associate

Tomohiro Nagashima

Faculty Associate

David Nemer

Faculty Associate

June Okal

Affiliate

Ngozi Okidegbe

Faculty Associate

Desmond Patton

Faculty Associate

Jonnie Penn

Faculty Associate

Leah Plunkett

Faculty Associate

Dasha Pruss

Faculty Associate

Paola Ricaurte Quijano

Faculty Associate

Allissa Richardson

Faculty Associate

James Riley

Faculty Associate

Roslyn Satchel

Faculty Associate

Trebor Scholz

Faculty Associate

Andrew Selbst

Faculty Associate

Nishant Shah

Faculty Associate

Aaron Shaw

Faculty Associate

Sarah Sobieraj

Faculty Associate

Alicia Solow-Niederman

Faculty Associate

Stefanie Stantcheva

Faculty Associate

Amanda Third

Faculty Associate

Joseph B. Walther

Faculty Associate

Moira Weigel

Faculty Associate

Apryl Williams

Faculty Associate

Crystal Yang

Faculty Associate

Leila Zia

Affiliate

Ethan Zuckerman

Faculty Associate