It is hardly a secret that companies are using your data in predictive algorithms to make decisions about you. However, they aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the information the Digital You provides.
In the past few years, we have seen the introduction of social credit programs in countries such as China. These Governmental programs will use predictive algorithms to make decisions about their citizens that can affect their everyday lives.
Now, a new report reveals that authorities in the UK are using algorithms to prevent problems before they arise.
Uk authorities are using predictive algorithms
In a recent Post by Sky News, the publication identified that “At least 53 councils are using computer models to detect problems before they happen”.
They also revealed that close to a third of UK police forces are using predictive algorithms. The article leads us to believe that this number could be even greater as a number of institutions opted out of answering related questions in the information requests.
Authorities are using these algorithms for a variety of reasons. It can span anywhere from police deciding which crimes they should further inspect to finding simple traffic solutions.
Experts are not sure just how much personal information the systems are using to successfully run these algorithms. Fortunately, one local authority was able to offer more insight into how they have adapted this method.
How these algorithms work
Using predictive algorithms, Bristol City Council has developed a way to determine whether at-risk youth may be affected by the different variables in their everyday lives.
Sky News spoke to the head of early intervention and targeted services at Bristol City Council, Gary Davies.
“The system worked by comparing the data of at-risk children to children who have gone missing several times. Each child is then given a score which out of 100 and marked as high, medium or low risk, a designation which is used to flag cases to social workers for intervention.”
Gary Davies
This isn’t too different than systems used by today’s tech giants. Companies like Facebook and Amazon create algorithms that make item suggestions to their users based off of their data.
Davies did make a point to explain the difference from their system to those used by the ones in Silicon Valley. According to him their decision on wether they needed to intervene was ultimately left up to a person, not a computer. However true this may be, critics of such systems find that the final decisions, human or not, are inconsequential once these systems have been applied.
Founder of privacy non-profit Digital Defend Me, Jen Person told Sky News.
“People have a tendency to trust the computer,” Ms Persson said. “Whilst it’s advertised as being able to help you make a decision, in reality it replaces the human decision. You have that faith in the computer that it will always be right.”
Jen Person
What this means for the Digital You
Systems like the ones these authorities are using show that everything you do, not only your online activity, affects the Digital You.
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