Inclusive Data Workshop 1:The need for social equity in tech & data science

Join us for this inclusive data workshop Less is more? The need for social equity in tech and data science as part of the "" all day event.

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‘Times are hard; let us slow down...’ African proverb

‘Racism, sexism and ableism are systemic problems that are baked into our technological systems because they’re baked into society.’ Meredith Broussard

How can we make plain the hidden power dynamics, values and assumptions that lie behind technologies and data science? Who develops the technology, how it is used and who can access it are all key questions for data scientists with an interest in social equity: impartiality, fairness and justice for all. Racism, sexism and ableism in tech, with their resulting skewed data sets, are not easily addressed ‘glitches’ – these are societal traits that need to be acknowledged and responded to before they lead to serious social harms.

As basic everyday services are increasingly digitised (healthcare, financial, welfare, housing) within a tech culture driven by start-ups, market forces and ‘fast is good’, this workshop explores how we can challenge systemic inequalities already embedded in new tech ‘solutions’.

Partha Das Chowdhury introduces REPHRAIN’s Capabilities Manifesto, a way of thinking about new technologies and how individuals are able to interact with and benefit from them - or not.

Hen Wilkinson shares examples of how less innovation could offer more, such as the use of ‘low tech’ tools such as those found on mobile phones to challenge issues of social justice relating to police ‘stop and search’ powers.

Discussion will focus on core questions that data scientists and tech innovators can employ to aid reflexive decision-making as they work with data and develop new software programmes.

Level of expertise required by attendees: Open to all

Speakers (Left to Right): Hen Wilkinson and Partha Das Chowdhury

Dr Partha Das Chowdhury has over a decade of hands-on technology implementation experience and is part of the core team at REPHRAIN, the UKRI-funded National Research Centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence Online. A particular interest is the application of capability theory to technology development, recognising that while safety on the internet should be a public good, there are great inequalities in accessing privacy enchancing technologies (PETs).

Hen Wilkinson, based at the JGI, is a Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, the Director of Community Resolve and the convenor of the Interdisciplinary PeaceTech Group. She has worked in mediation and conflict resolution for over 30 years and is now collaborating with colleagues around the world on the emerging peacetech and ‘tech for social cohesion’ movement.

This event is part of Bristol Data Week 2023 and this all day event at Bristol Beacon is organised by the Jean Golding Institute and UWE and sponsored by the Alan Turing Institute.

Running from Monday 5 June - Friday 9 June 2023, this will be our 6th annual Data Week; an interactive programme of speakers, training and workshops open to all and completely free of charge.

Keep up to date with sessions happening throughout Bristol Data Week on the Jean Golding Institute website follow us on Twitter @JGIBristol and use #BristolDataWeek.

Host or Publisher Jean Golding Institute at the University of Bristol