Technology & Human Rights Newsletter

Technology & Human Rights

Special Edition Newsletter

Dear friends of the Carr Center,

We are pleased to release our inaugural newsletter for the Carr Center’s Technology and Human Rights program and to share two exciting announcements: the launch of a new faculty advisory committee with leading experts from across the University, as well as the announcement of the 2020-2021 cohort of the Center’s Technology and Human Rights Fellows, selected from a highly competitive process with over 140 applicants.

In many ways, our work on the impact of technological advancements on a range of human rights and the entire human rights framework is increasingly relevant and urgent in the age of the pandemic. The rise of authoritarian governments using surveillance technology to track citizens, the implications of remote work on low-wage workers in the service economy, the challenges of content moderation on social media platforms to counter disinformation—these and many more ethical and rights challenges preoccupy us as we think of both the immediate and long-term consequences of the spread of COVID-19.

We welcome your thoughts and feedback on the newsletter and the Center’s programs and thank you for your engagement with our work.

Sincerely,

Mathias risse

Faculty Director
Lucius N. Littauer Professor
of Philosophy & Public Administration

sushma raman

Executive Director

2020-2021 INCOMING COHORT
TECHNOLOGY & HUMAN RIGHTS FELLOWS

Chike Aguh

the impact of the
future of work on
racial minorities

Chelsea Barabas

assessing the impact of
ai for "social good"

Maria Carnovale

a human rights-based
approach to controversial
technology policy

Flynn Coleman

FUTURE OF GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP & HUMANITY
IN A DIGITAL WORLD

philip dawson

HUMAN RIGHTS &
THE SMART CITY

mark hodge

THE UN GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY

rachel hulvey

the right to be forgotten: private enforcement
of an experimental &
controversial right

khalil louisy

business, technology,
& human rights
principles

brandie nonnecke

human rights, ethical
principles, & the need
for transparency in
the age of ai

dinah pokempner

assessing international
law of cyberspace with
a human rights lens

AARATHI
KRISHNAN

a toolkit for humanitarian organizations on
digital rights in
the global south

elizabeth renieris

recalibrating human
rights principles in
the age of technology

joana varon ferraz

a feminist & human rights approach to ai
in latin america

alexander
voss

agile methods,
a/b testing &
human rights

annette zimmermanN

the moral & political significance of algorithms


	Learn more about our 2020-2021 cohort

TECH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DAVID EAVES

Lecturer in Public Policy,
HKS

David Eaves is a public policy entrepreneur and expert in information technology and government. He is also the faculty lead for Digital HKS at the Harvard Kennedy School.

NIEN-HÊ HSIEH

Professor of Business Administration, HBS

Nien-hê Hsieh is Professor of Business Administration and Joseph L. Rice, III Faculty Fellow in the General Management Unit at Harvard Business School. His research concerns ethical issues in business and the responsibilities of global business leaders.

SHEILA JASANOFF

Pforzheimer Professor of Science & Technology Studies, HKS

A pioneer in her field, Jasanoff has authored more than 120 articles and chapters, and is the author/editor of more than 15 books such as The Fifth Branch, Science at the Bar, Designs on Nature, and The Ethics of Invention. Her work explores the role of science and technology in law, politics, and policy of modern democracies.

SUSHMA RAMAN

Executive Director,
Carr Center

Raman brings a rich and diverse background in philanthropy, human rights and social justice through her work in the U.S. and globally with the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. She is a board member of RFK Human Rights and co-author of the forthcoming book, The Coming Good Society.

MATHIAS RISSE

Faculty Director,
Carr Center

Risse's work primarily addresses questions of global justice ranging from human rights, inequality, taxation, trade and immigration to climate change, obligations to future generations and the future of technology. In addition to teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School, he teaches at Harvard College, Harvard Extension School, and is affiliated with the Harvard philosophy department.

BRUCE SCHNEIER

Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS

Bruce Schneier is an
internationally renowned security technologist, called a "security guru" by The Economist. He is the author of 14 books -- including the New York Times best-seller Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World -- as well as hundreds of articles, essays, and academic papers.

JAMES WALDO

Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, SEAS

Jim Waldo is Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard, where he teaches courses in distributed systems and privacy. He is also the Chief Technology Officer for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a Professor of Policy teaching on topics of technology and policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

SHOSHANA ZUBOFF

Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration, HBS, Emeritus

Shoshana Zuboff is the Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Emeritus. She is one of the first tenured women at the Harvard Business School and the youngest woman to receive an endowed chair. Zuboff is the author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power.

PUBLICATIONS

Neal

The Ethics of Surveillance Technology during a Global Pandemic

By Mathias Risse, Faculty Director, Carr Center,
Bruce Schneier, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS,
& Vivek Krishnamurthy, Technology and Human Rights Fellow

Three technology experts discuss how governments & businesses might ethically employ surveillance & AI technologies to address Covid-19.


	READ MORE

Neal

The Ethical Use of Personal Data
to Build Artificial
Intelligence Technologies:
A Case Study on Remote
Biometric Identity Verification

By Neal Cohen, Technology & Human Rights Fellow

This paper examines the technical requirements of building AI technologies with high volumes of personal data and the implications for our understanding of existing data protection frameworks.
The author proposes a path forward to ethically using
personal data to build AI technologies.


	READ MORE

Neal

Smart City Visions & Human Rights:
Do They Go Together?

By Tina Kempin Reuter, Technology & Human Rights Fellow

Over half of the world's population lives in cities today. The growth of the smart city requires us to take a human rights approach to the smart city -- one that addresses digital divides, inequality, and power asymmetries.


	READ MORE

Neal

Technological Revolution, Democratic Recession & Climate Change:
The Limits of Law in a Changing World

By Luís Roberto Barroso, Senior Fellow;
Justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil

How has the law addressed three major challenges:
ethical implications of technological advances, the rise of authoritarianism, and inaction around climate change?


	READ MORE

Neal

Can Facebook's Oversight Board
Win People's Trust?

By Mark Latonero, Technology & Human Fellow

Mark Latonero breaks down the larger implications of
Facebook's global Oversight Board for content moderation.


	READ MORE

Neal

Teaching Technology to See
the Whole Person

By Laurin Leonard & Teresa Hodge,
Technology & Human Rights Fellows

Laurin Leonard and Teresa Hodge explain their path to creating
an algorithm that provides an inclusionary and human rights approach when applying for employment and loans.


	READ MORE

The Coming Good Society:
Why New Realities Demand New Rights

By William F. Schulz, Senior Fellow,
Sushma Raman, Executive Director, Carr Center

Drawing on their vast experience as human rights advocates,
William Schulz and Sushma Raman challenge us to think hard about how rights evolve with changing circumstances, and what rights will look like ten, twenty, or fifty years from now.


	READ MORE

TOWARDS LIFE 3.0
SPEAKER SERIES

Towards Life 3.0: Ethics and Technology in the 21st Century is a talk series organized and facilitated by Mathias Risse, Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Philosophy & Public Administration.
Below are several speakers the Carr Center has hosted under
the Towards Life 3.0 umbrella.

The Age of
Surveillance Capitalism:
A Conversation with Shoshana Zuboff

Featuring Shoshana Zuboff,
Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration, HBS, Emeritus; Author, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

Life Dispersed: Agency & Autonomy in a Time of Convergent Technologies

Featuring Sheila Jasanoff,
Pforzheimer Professor of Science
& Technology Studies, HKS

Dealing with Ethical Questions in Science & Technology Policy in the Obama White House

Featuring John Holdren,
Former Director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (2009 - 2007)

Applying a Human Rights Lens to the Business of
Artificial Intelligence

Featuring Steve Crown,
Vice President & Deputy General
Counsel, Human Rights, Microsoft

JUSTICE MATTERS PODCAST

Hosted by the Carr Center's Executive Director, Sushma Raman, this podcast investigates a wide array of human rights issues at home and abroad. Join Sushma as she confronts, challenges, and explores human rights matters with a multidisciplinary lens.

The Role of Social Media in Shaping Gang Violence

Desmond Upton Patton, Technology & Human Rights Fellow, sits down with Sushma Raman to analyze the intersection of social media, ethics, and human rights.

LISTEN

Human Rights in the Face of Emerging Technology

Vivek Krishnamurthy,
Senior Fellow at the Carr Center, offers insights on the complex challenges of the human rights movement in the face of emerging technology and artificial intelligence.

LISTEN

The Power of Technology in
North Korea

Nat Kretchun,
Deputy Director of the Open Technology Fund, discusses the way in which technology is used for censorship and surveillance in North Korea.

LISTEN

Ethics & Privacy in
the Age of AI

Mark Latonero,
Technology & Human Rights Fellow, discusses ethics, privacy, and human rights implications around the use of artificial intelligence.

LISTEN

MULTIMEDIA

Drafted Into the Meme Wars:
Disinformation in US
Elections

Featuring Joan Donovan,
Research Director of the
Shorenstein Center on Media,
Politics and Public Policy

WATCH

Power & Productivity:
The Role of Technology
In Political Economy

Featuring Yochai Benkler,
Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial
Legal Studies at Harvard Law School;
Faculty Co-Director of
Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

WATCH

AI & Human Rights:
The Practical &
Philosophical
Dimensions
with Mathias Risse

Mathias Risse discusses AI,
human rights and philosophy
on the Carnegie Council for Ethics
in International Affairs' podcast,
"Global Ethics Weekly."

LISTEN

The Quest for
Inclusive & Ethical
Technology

Sabelo Mhlambi,
Technology & Human Rights Fellow,
sits down with NPR to discuss
building more equitable technologies.

LISTEN

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