Aspen Tech Policy Hub Webinar: Improving Democracy Through Technology August 5 9am PT
August 5 Webinar: Improving Democracy Through Technology The uses and effects of technological change permeate through all of our systems, including our democracy. Yet given political polarization and uncertain legal rules, our current climate presents unique challenges to our ideas and values of democracy. How might we use and think about technology to better serve our democratic institutions? Join Aspen Tech Policy Hub [1]Fellows as they showcase their projects under the theme: Improving Democracy Through Technology. Following the presentations of the projects, California Supreme Court Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar will give further remarks. This webinar is part of our Demo Days event series. Learn more [2]on our website. [3]RSVP The projects to be presented are: Combating Election Disinformation by Shining Light on Dark Ads. Every day, tens of millions of Americans view political advertisements on social media that disguise themselves as unpaid content, also known as “dark ads.” According to NYU researchers, more than half of Facebook pages from May 2018 until June 2019 that displayed U.S. political ads concealed the identities of their backers. [4]Matt Volk and [5]Elizabeth Allendorf joined forces to develop a game that educates the public about dark ads, and to propose a series of actions that regulatory entities can take to increase transparency in this ecosystem. Using Automated Advocates to Provide Legal Services at Scale. The United States faces a crisis in its civil courts, where more than 80% of low-income households lack adequate legal representation. A promising new class of technology tools (“Automated Advocates”) can help close that gap, but regulatory complexity about who may practice law make it difficult for companies to build these tools and for regulators to distinguish good actors from bad. [6]Jessica Cole led a project to coalesce and define Automated Advocates in order to regulate and incentivize their use in civil courts. People Powered Policy. It is difficult for cities to obtain real-time feedback from their constituents on impending policy decisions. At the same time, constituents from disenfranchised communities struggle to get the attention of elected officials to drive policy change. [7]Amy Wilson led a project focused on the City of Oakland, California, that develops a strategy to encourage two-way iterative communication between city government and their constituents and embrace a digital transformation. [8] [9]RSVP CONTACT US [10]Twitter [11]Email Address [12]Website References 1. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/fellows/ 2. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/fellows-release-interactive-policy-projec... 3. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/aspen-tech-policy-hub-demo-day-improvi... 4. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/team/matthew-volk/ 5. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/team/elizabeth-allendorf/ 6. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/team/jessica-cole/ 7. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/team/amy-wilson 8. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/aspen-tech-policy-hub-demo-day-protect... 9. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/aspen-tech-policy-hub-demo-day-improvi... 10. https://www.twitter.com/aspenpolicyhub 11. mailto:aspentechpolicyhub@aspeninstitute.org?subject=Newsletter Question 12. https://www.aspentechpolicyhub.org/ Unsubscribe: https://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.php?r=71217812&l=113004&s=0KZB&m... This message was sent to air-l@listserv.aoir.org from aspentechpolicyhub@aspeninstitute.org Betsy Cooper Aspen Tech Policy Hub 2300 N Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20037
We have a new call for papers (with revised deadline) that may be of interest to some of you. Please feel free to share widely! Call for Proposals for 2021 Symposium Internet filtering, digital literacy, and information poverty: Intersections and challenges School of Information Science, University of Kentucky Proposals Due: November 30, 2020 Notification of Acceptance: December 31, 2020 https://dib.uky.edu/internetfilteringsymposium/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdib.uky.edu%2Finternetfilteringsymposium%2F&data=02%7C01%7Cshannon.oltmann%40uky.edu%7C22c1570f856645e0a2bc08d82b340c6b%7C2b30530b69b64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C0%7C637306849833918338&sdata=rH88oll3RKu%2BsSQR%2BZ9m1MktPQtXItd0cltUEHVOuDo%3D&reserved=0> In this national symposium, we will investigate the interlocking problems of information poverty/justice, digital literacy, and internet filtering. These issues are proving to be increasingly urgent under the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, and economic instability faced worldwide. Internet filtering is a crucial issue because it restricts access to a broad array of information, needed to combat the rising tide of fake news and misinformation. Experts agree that the best ways to combat “fake news” are improved digital literacy and better access to better information. Nonetheless, internet filtering—which impacts both literacy and access—remains widespread. Internet filtering has three interrelated research issues: a lack of research and knowledge about internet filtering in the U.S.; disparate effects of filtering, along socioeconomic lines; and negative impacts on digital literacy. Each problem is unique and important, but together they pose a significant impact on the accessibility of information to the public. In this national symposium, we will investigate these interlocking problems of internet filtering, digital literacy, and information poverty. We invite both individual and group proposals: (1) For individual paper proposals, please submit an 800-1000 word abstract of your paper. (2) For panel, fishbowl, or group proposals, please identify participants with a 100-250 word biography and submit a 1000-1500 word abstract of your topic and treatment. Proposals should be sent to shannon.oltmann@uky.edu<mailto:shannon.oltmann@uky.edu> Deadline for Proposals: November 30, 2020 Notification of Acceptance: December 31, 2020 Conference Dates: May 2021 Conference Organizing Committee: Shannon M. Oltmann, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky Emily J.M. Knox, Associate Professor, University of Illinois Chris Peterson, Board of Directors, National Coalition Against Censorship Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association Sponsors: Institute of Museum and Library Services (Grant # LG-12-19-0051-19) Shannon M. Oltmann, Ph.D. Pronouns: she/her/hers Associate Professor School of Information Science College of Communication & Information University of Kentucky shannon.oltmann@uky.edu<mailto:shannon.oltmann@uky.edu> NOTE: Office phone and fax currently unavailable Editor, Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy
participants (2)
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Betsy Cooper -
Oltmann, Shannon M.