The campaign against IRS use of facial recognition is a model for digital activism
Online resistance isn’t futile
Methods of victory
The rapid response campaign was organized by a coalition of groups, including theAJL,EPIC, andFight for the Future.
Their message was clear and simple:
The word was spread throughop-eds in The Atlantic,letters to the White House,online petitions, and the work of researchers, reporters, lawmakers, and advocacy groups.
Sasha Costanza-Chock, Director of Research and Design at the AJL, gave much of the credit to the Black women who exposed the risks of FRT.
They includeJoy Buolamwini and Timnit Gebru,whoselandmark 2018 studyshowed the software disproportionately misclassified Black women.
Two years later,a federal government studyreached the same conclusion.
“Dr Buolamwini and other Black women set the stage for this win, which isn’t the first and won’t be the last,” said Costanza-Chock.
Indeed, the victory could further fuel the eruption indigital activism sparked by COVID-19.
Digital uprisings
The campaign against the IRS was largely fought online.
Jeramie D. Scott, Senior Counsel with EPIC, said it showed digital activism can produce real results:
The campaign isn’t complete yet. There are still numerous government agencies that have contracts with facial recognition suppliers such as ID.me.
“Ultimately, we need strong federal legislation for algorithmic accountability,” said Costanza-Chock. “We can win this when people with lived experience of harm from unjust and unchecked technological systems organize together.”
FRT is far from the onlyAIthat threatenshuman rights.But the IRS U-turn shows online activism can help reverse their rollout.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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