Ethical, Legal and Social Challenges of Predictive Policing

While being an innovative way to use data and statistical methods to forecast the probability of crime and improve the effectiveness of resource deployment, Predictive Policing is based on many underpinning assumptions. The main ethical issues relating to PP revolve around such topics as data selection and machine bias, visualisation and interpretation of forecasts, transparency and accountability, time and effectiveness, as well as the problem of stigmatisation of individuals, environments and community areas. This translates into the legal domain and particularly into questions relating to privacy. The current legislative framework only partly addresses these issues, focusing mainly on individual rights and not on groups and how they might be affected. The main societal concerns relating to the use of Predictive Policing regard the establishment of trust. In this overview developed in cooperation with several European law enforcement agencies and members of civil society, we argue that, if Predictive Policing’s main target is to reduce crime rates, then, its effectiveness is still unclear.Embora o policiamento preditivo (PP) seja uma modo inovador de usar dados e métodos estatísticos para prever a probabilidade de criminalidade e melhorar a eficácia do uso de recursos, baseia-se em muitas suposições subjacentes. As principais questões éticas relacionadas com o PP relacionam-se com temas como a seleção de dados e viés da máquina (machine bias), visualização e interpretação de previsões, transparência e responsabilidade, tempo e eficácia, assim como o problema da estigmatização de indivíduos, ambientes e áreas da comunidade. Estes problemas têm repercussões no domínio jurídico e, particularmente, no direito à privacidade. O atual quadro legislativo trata apenas parcialmente dessas questões, concentrando-se principalmente nos direitos individuais e não nos dos grupos e em como eles podem ser afetados. As principais preocupações sociais relacionadas com o uso do policiamento preditivo têm que ver com o estabelecimento da confiança. Neste nosso contributo, desenvolvido em cooperação com várias agências policiais e membros da sociedade civil, alegamos que não está ainda demonstrada a eficácia do policiamento preditivo na redução das taxas de criminalidade

Ethical, Legal and Social Challenges of Predictive Policing

While being an innovative way to use data and statistical methods to forecast the probability of crime and improve the effectiveness of resource deployment, Predictive Policing is based on many underpinning assumptions. The main ethical issues relating to PP revolve around such topics as data selection and machine bias, visualisation and interpretation of forecasts, transparency and accountability, time and effectiveness, as well as the problem of stigmatisation of individuals, environments and community areas. This translates into the legal domain and particularly into questions relating to privacy. The current legislative framework only partly addresses these issues, focusing mainly on individual rights and not on groups and how they might be affected. The main societal concerns relating to the use of Predictive Policing regard the establishment of trust. In this overview developed in cooperation with several European law enforcement agencies and members of civil society, we argue that, if Predictive Policing’s main target is to reduce crime rates, then, its effectiveness is still unclear.Embora o policiamento preditivo (PP) seja uma modo inovador de usar dados e métodos estatísticos para prever a probabilidade de criminalidade e melhorar a eficácia do uso de recursos, baseia-se em muitas suposições subjacentes. As principais questões éticas relacionadas com o PP relacionam-se com temas como a seleção de dados e viés da máquina (machine bias), visualização e interpretação de previsões, transparência e responsabilidade, tempo e eficácia, assim como o problema da estigmatização de indivíduos, ambientes e áreas da comunidade. Estes problemas têm repercussões no domínio jurídico e, particularmente, no direito à privacidade. O atual quadro legislativo trata apenas parcialmente dessas questões, concentrando-se principalmente nos direitos individuais e não nos dos grupos e em como eles podem ser afetados. As principais preocupações sociais relacionadas com o uso do policiamento preditivo têm que ver com o estabelecimento da confiança. Neste nosso contributo, desenvolvido em cooperação com várias agências policiais e membros da sociedade civil, alegamos que não está ainda demonstrada a eficácia do policiamento preditivo na redução das taxas de criminalidade

Ethical, Legal and Social Challenges of Predictive Policing

While being an innovative way to use data and statistical methods to forecast the probability of crime and improve the effectiveness of resource deployment, Predictive Policing is based on many underpinning assumptions. The main ethical issues relating to PP revolve around such topics as data selection and machine bias, visualisation and interpretation of forecasts, transparency and accountability, time and effectiveness, as well as the problem of stigmatisation of individuals, environments and community areas. This translates into the legal domain and particularly into questions relating to privacy. The current legislative framework only partly addresses these issues, focusing mainly on individual rights and not on groups and how they might be affected. The main societal concerns relating to the use of Predictive Policing regard the establishment of trust. In this overview developed in cooperation with several European law enforcement agencies and members of civil society, we argue that, if Predictive Policing’s main target is to reduce crime rates, then, its effectiveness is still unclear.Embora o policiamento preditivo (PP) seja uma modo inovador de usar dados e métodos estatísticos para prever a probabilidade de criminalidade e melhorar a eficácia do uso de recursos, baseia-se em muitas suposições subjacentes. As principais questões éticas relacionadas com o PP relacionam-se com temas como a seleção de dados e viés da máquina (machine bias), visualização e interpretação de previsões, transparência e responsabilidade, tempo e eficácia, assim como o problema da estigmatização de indivíduos, ambientes e áreas da comunidade. Estes problemas têm repercussões no domínio jurídico e, particularmente, no direito à privacidade. O atual quadro legislativo trata apenas parcialmente dessas questões, concentrando-se principalmente nos direitos individuais e não nos dos grupos e em como eles podem ser afetados. As principais preocupações sociais relacionadas com o uso do policiamento preditivo têm que ver com o estabelecimento da confiança. Neste nosso contributo, desenvolvido em cooperação com várias agências policiais e membros da sociedade civil, alegamos que não está ainda demonstrada a eficácia do policiamento preditivo na redução das taxas de criminalidade

Needles in Haystacks: Law, Capability, Ethics and Proportionality in Big-Data Intelligence Gathering

Edward Snowden’s revelations in 2013 about the nature and scale of data-gathering in the two intelligence agencies, the NSA in the US and its UK sister agency, GCHQ, added a new dimension to a debate already underway about the transformation of intelligence-gathering in a Big Data age. There is no doubt that Snowden’s revelations provided the bow-wave of a fundamentally critical and anti-state stance on the intelligence questions in hand. Such a critical stance is reflected in much of the academic literature about Big Data. In this chapter, such concerns are critically appraised

Policing the future?:Assessing the mobilisation of Big Data by UK law enforcement

The exponential growth of data has created both challenges and opportunities for government agencies involved in security and law enforcement. The rise of cybercrime, the dark web and the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes pose major challenges. At the same time, the data revolution offers new opportunities for intelligence and crime prevention, such as Predictive Policing. Despite the promise of Big Data, ethical and institutional factors have hindered innovation within law enforcement agencies. The impact of Big Data on law enforcement in the United Kingdom between 2013 and 2020 was fragmented: while it accelerated innovation processes, it also revealed ethical concerns and institutional barriers. Adapting to Big Data was not as successful as hoped for by UK law enforcement, and its effectiveness in reducing crime remains unclear. More research is needed to determine how Big Data and Artificial Intelligence can be used to improve security, taking into account ethical, social and legal implications. International cooperation and attention to human-centered approaches are essential in the pursuit of effective security innovations

Report ICCT International Launch Conference

On 12 – 13 December 2010, ICCT held its International Launch Conference entitled ‘Ten Years after 9/11: Evaluating a Decade of Intensified Counter-Terrorism’. Over 200 high-level international experts from various governments, counter-terrorism agencies, academic institutions and NGOs gathered to discuss the status of counter-terrorism as the year 2011 draws near, in which it will be 10 years since those devastating attacks on the United States

Introduction to Big Data Challenges

This chapter introduces the rationale for the book. It explains why Big Data is one of the most prominent challenges of our time, with far-reaching implications for society and security. It sets out why the tension, and interaction, between innovation and ethics is at the forefront of the various challenges of Big Data. It clarifies the division of the book into Part I, ‘Between Mathematics and Philosophy’, and Part II on ‘Implications for Security’. Each chapter is also briefly introduced to the reader