CALL F OR PROPOSALS

Open Call for Proposals “Quantified Society: Examining the Consequences of Algorithmic Decision Making for Open Societies” Media Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations February 20 2015

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Media Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations are pleased to issue this call for proposals (CFP) for case studies from the Global South and Europe that will (a) identify implications for open society values such as the protection of human rights and democratic practice of large-scale data collection, analysis, and use, and (b) provide legislative, normative or technical recommendations for how to respond to those implications. This research is intended to help inform public policy discussions and drive the development of frameworks that incorporate provisions to strengthen human rights protection and encourage the innovation made possible by this rapidly evolving environment.

Background Large scale data collection and analysis by the public and the private sector has been promoted as a catalyst and a solution to societal challenges in areas such as health, law enforcement, service delivery and more. It has also been recognized as the new backbone of capitalism via the “internet of everything”, the coming network of connected, internet-enabled devices and products. Yet, at the same time, experts have cautioned about potential shifts in power relationships between industry, citizens, and the government that wide-spread data collection and algorithmic decision-making can cause. Though experts have noted the need to ensure that conclusions derived from data at scale do not overlook potential biases, inaccuracies, vulnerabilities, and gaps resulting from data analytics, the implications on human rights, public discourse, due process and democratic practice that are raised by “big data” are only starting to be understood. This is especially true in jurisdictions located in the Global South where ‘data for development (D4D)’ is a term coined for the use of “big data” by governments, private sector organizations, and international agencies to advance efficiency in areas related to development. Yet often legal and governance structures for practices related to the use of data at scale are inadequate or non-existent. Thus, the need to create a more robust evidence base of current, existing implications for open society values is acute in order to begin to construct legislative and norm-based responses to this new – and rapidly broadening – environment. 2  

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Goals of Call for Proposals The goals of this call for proposals are to: • •

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Clarify the ways in which “big data” is conceptualised in different national jurisdictions and cultures in the Global South and Europe; Contribute to the understanding of the documentable threats to human rights, public discourse, due process and democratic practice that are raised by the collection of large datasets, algorithm-driven analysis of those datasets and its use; Inspire thinking about potential approaches to addressing the identified consequences; Contribute to the growing body of research that addresses issues of the quantified society.

Scope of Case Studies Each proposed case study will be context specific, i.e. the case study will look at a specific instance of collection, algorithmic analysis and/or use of data at scale by either a national or international player or set of players (in case of public private partnerships). The case study will provide background facts on the case including conceptual clarity about why the case study constitutes a case study on the collection, analysis and use of data at scale; provide an analysis of the legal framework and gaps therein relevant to the case study; discuss effects and implications; and provide recommendations for the advancement of open society values. It is expected that in contexts where the “big data” debate is more robust, so will be the documentable findings. The following are examples of questions that can guide the research. Please note that the expectation is not that the researchers answer all of these questions, but instead focus on those most relevant to the particular case and, if appropriate, develop additional questions that seem pertinent.

Background • • • • •

Why does the case study constitute a case study on the collection, analysis and use of data at scale? What are the proposed opportunities being pursued? Are there identifiable assumptions about what the analysis and use of the data can achieve underlying its proposed purpose? Who are the actors/companies involved-- public and private, international and national? And what are their roles? In the context of the case study, are there barriers to entry for access to data at scale and analytic tools? If so, what are they?

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OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Practice •

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What information is being analysed - by whom, from where, for what purpose, with what type of results? (i.e. directly vs. from a third party such as a telecommunication service provider, from a public source like Twitter etc.)? Are there instances of good and bad practices in the use of “big data”?

Policy and Regulation •

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What are the relevant and applicable legal regulations and policies presently governing the collection, analysis and use of data at scale? Are these adequate? Are these enforced? Do existing legal provisions provide adequate remedy for violations resulting from the use of “big data”? Do existing legal provisions offer enough flexibility to allow for the innovation and growth possible through the analysis and use of data at scale? Does algorithmic decision making and the use of data at scale complicate issues that are already addressed by policy such as a data protection and privacy legislation? Does the model of regulation play a role in its effectiveness? Can policy effectively regulate algorithmic decision making and the use of data at scale? Is there an appointed regulator for the case study area? If so, is this regulator effective? Are there new types of regulators/regulations needed?

Implications • • •

Are implications arising from algorithmic decision making and the use of data at scale noticeable and documentable or are they theoretical? Are these implications contextually specific, or can they be generalized across contexts? How can the implications be articulated? Note: Such implications can be concrete and practical, such as a change in how a particular service is operated/delivered, and as a result new, personalised modes of structuring access to knowledge can be documented, or such implications can be more general, societal implications, related to the implications for open society values.

Technologies • • • •

Is the present technology in the context adequate for drawing meaningful conclusions from the analysis of data at scale? Is technology being used or considered to address challenges posed by the analysis of data at scale? Would present policy need to be changed to account for assumptions made by these technologies? What could be the consequences of generating “big data”, but not having the ability to adequately analyse it? 4  

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Recommendations Recommendations should address the specific case and consider different types of remedies – legislative, normative (such as code of conducts), technical and process-oriented – targeting the appropriate level of policy making. The recommendations about the specific case would ideally be complemented by a set of higher-level conclusions.

Application Requirements Participation Applications are welcome from individuals or organisations working with or researching big data, and can include journalists, researchers and human rights advocates. Partnerships between NGO’s and research institutes are particularly welcome. Preference is given to applicants from outside the United States and Canada. The actual case study needs to be situated in a context outside the United States and Canada. The concept note should be written in English, be a maximum of two pages long, and should include the following information: • •

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Description of case study: Briefly describe the case study and clarify what questions will be addressed, and how. Researchers’ qualification: Describe the role of individual researchers on the project and how their skills and knowledge enable them to carry out the case study. Basic timeline: Provide a basic timeline for the project Budget: Provide a budget (in U.S. dollars) describing how the award will be used. The budget may include honorariums. Please note that the budget awarded per project is between $10,000 and $25,000. Copyright: Grant recipients will be required to license their work products under a Creative Commons license.

Concept notes should be submitted via email to Grace Lee, Media Democracy Fund [email protected]. If a concept note is accepted, this will be communicated along with more detailed information regarding the requirements for a full proposal.

Deadlines and Submission • • •

Publication of call for proposals: February 20, 2015 Concept note submission deadline: March 27, 2015 Notification of application status: April 17, 2015 5  

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

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Proposal submission deadline (for semi-finalists): May 22, 2015 Announcement of results: June 12, 2015 Final case study report due: October 1, 2015

Review All concept notes and proposals received by the submission deadline and in compliance with the application requirements will be reviewed by a committee that includes Janet Haven (Open Society Foundations), Vera Franz (Open Society Foundations), Alberto Cerda (Ford Foundation), Lori McGlinchey (Ford Foundation), Helen Brunner (Media Democracy Fund), Kate Crawford (Microsoft Research and MIT), Joris van Hoboken (IVIR Amsterdam and NYU Law School), Sunil Abraham (Center for Internet and Society India), and Ronaldo Lemos (Institute for Technology and Society Brazil). This committee will make the final funding decisions. No individual feedback will be provided on proposals that are not funded.

Contact Media Democracy Fund Grace Lee [email protected]

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OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

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