Tech Can Be Tricky A new clinic will help navigate the ethical, legal and equity implications of technology By Doug Parry When people need legal advice but can’t afford a lawyer, they can turn to legal clinics where law students offer representation and advocacy. When community organizations need advice on technology, they may soon be able to turn to a similar type of clinic at the University of Washington. A pilot project led by Nicholas Weber, assistant professor at the UW Information School, will establish a public-interest technology clinic to serve local community organizations and governments, helping them operate in ways that support equity, delivery of services and the public good. The clinic will conduct policy analysis and do prototyping. It can even build alternative technologies alongside groups that typically lack the resources to advocate for their interests, for example, in the face of technologies that conduct surveillance,
gather biometric data or make decisions on behalf of “smart cities.” Weber recently received a $178,800 grant from the Public Interest Technology University Network to launch the clinic, which will focus on bringing the expertise of researchers and students to bear in serving the Puget Sound region. Established by the New America think tank, PIT-UN is a consortium of universities and colleges committed to developing a field of study that accounts for ethical and societal implications of new technologies. Technology companies are constantly chasing the next innovation with a focus on commercial success. A university can study the long-term ramifications of those innovations and help people advocate for their best interests, Weber says. “Our region has had a profound impact on the technology sector, but with that impact comes a responsibility,” he adds. Weber focuses on civic technology. “I see the clinic really as a way for us to reckon with the consequences of our technology development for people who have not always been served by public institutions, and that includes public universities.” At the clinic, he and colleagues will
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develop coursework centered on public-interest technology, establish relationships between faculty and community organizations, and fund summer internships for students. The clinic’s “sweet spot” will be in scenarios where it could prevent potentially harmful effects from technologies that interact with people on a broad scale, Weber says. For example, privacy advocates
Technology companies are constantly chasing the next innovation with a focus on commercial success. might work with the clinic to help protect the data private companies pick up from license plate readers. The PIT-UN funding will help launch the clinic and sustain it through its first 18 months. Weber envisions a permanent clinic that’s part of a national network with each outpost tailored to the needs of its own community.
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