The Maldita.es Foundation joins the Eticas Foundation in Action for Algorithmic Justice, a coalition to monitor algorithmic decisions

The Maldita.es Foundation, together with the Eticas Foundation, lead this coalition, which is made up of several organizations dedicated to the defense of digital rights: Interferences, Xnet, Panoptykon Foundation, Huxir and the Karisma Foundation, among others. AxJA can be joined by organizations and individuals.

The main objective is that bad practices or possible violations by private companies and institutions are not overlooked, but can be pointed out and even fought with legal means to protect our digital rights: those rights in the offline world that must also be protected online.

For example? As its first projects, AxJA has focused on three different issues: the use of cookies by political parties, the digital divide, and the use of facial recognition. In this way, different cases that may negatively affect the population will be analyzed, such as the automation of processes that exclude vulnerable populations (such as the elderly) or the use of computer programs that use facial recognition in universities. AxJA will work with public institutions to strengthen privacy and data protection laws, and with the private sector to improve the development and implementation of certain technologies.

The coalition wants to focus on the lack of democratic control and transparency in the use of technological tools, such as the implementation of artificial intelligence systems and automated decision making, processes that Maldita.es has highlighted on numerous occasions due to their impact on citizens. 

Maldita.es contributes to this project thanks to its work to provide citizens with tools, technologies and information to make informed decisions. Through our different sections, we work on fact-checking, but we also contribute to media and digital literacy in order to achieve a more fact-based public debate and raise awareness among citizens about disinformation and its social impact.

Eticas Foundation is a pioneer in auditing algorithmic systems and has worked for international institutions such as the United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank, the OECD and the European Commission. It participates in and leads various initiatives to raise awareness of the need to monitor and demand transparency in the use of algorithms and automated decision-making systems.