Justice
New York Just Set a ‘Dangerous Precedent’ on Algorithms, Experts Warn
NYC’s task force on algorithms was supposed to be a beacon of transparent government. It couldn’t even gain access to basic information.
It was supposed to be groundbreaking. When New York City’s task force to develop policy on algorithm technologies was introduced two years ago, it was praised as a beacon of transparent and equitable government. It was supposed to inform other policymakers grappling with how to address their own use of automated technologies that make decisions in place of humans.
But for all its good intentions, the effort was bogged down in a bureaucratic morass. The task force failed at even completing a first necessary step in its work: getting access to basic information about automated systems already in use, according to task force members and observers.