IGF 2020 WS #65 Education Under Surveillance: AI and data protection

Information

Session

Thematic Track:

Topic(s):

Artificial Intelligence
Data Protection
Surveillance Economy

Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Government, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 3: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 4: Civil Society, Eastern European Group

Speaker 1: Schallier Wouter, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Velislava Hillman, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Elena Ortiz, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 4: Frederick Questier, Technical Community, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Flávia Lefèvre Guimarães, ,

Format:

Debate - Auditorium - 90 Min

Description:

From "Education Under Surveillance: National mapping shows states and institutions exposed to surveillance capitalism" we will encourage debate on how governments and educational institutions can better address data protection and privacy for students and teachers. Artificial Intelligence can be highly beneficial for improving teaching and learning process, but specific regulations for the use of platforms that mine metadata are essential.

Issues:

The Educação Vigiada (Education Under Surveillance) project shows that 65% of public universities and state education offices in Brazil are exposed to “surveillance capitalism”. The project calls attention to the lack of transparency and regulation in public-private relations in technological platforms and services, compromising users’ rights such as privacy and the protection of personal data

Policy Question(s):

1) Governance dimensions for data-driven technologies Topics: Human Rights, ethics, and other regulatory or non regulatory models for data governance, data protection, sand boxes, self-regulation, Fairness, Accountability and Transparency (FAT) models. Example: What is the role of ethics, Human Rights and other regulatory or non regulatory models in data governance, do they need to be addressed jointly or separately? 3) Data-driven emerging technologies Topics: artificial intelligence, IoT, algorithms, facial recognition, blockchain, automated decision making, machine learning, data for good. Example: What is the impact of AI and other data-driven technologies in the exercise of rights of most vulnerable groups? How to implement them to further advance their inclusion and avoid further harm?

Expected Outcomes:

This mapping initiative aims to draw attention to the lack of regulation of partnerships established by public education with commercial organizations, which compromise the right to privacy and personal data protection of citizens, particularly children and adolescents. These partnerships do not involve the expenditure of financial resources by the public administration. However, there is a hidden value extracted from the collection of our data and metadata. As universities and school systems suspended classes, in a collective effort to contribute to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, a large number of tech companies and platforms begin offering tools for distance education as a way to maintain educational activities. Many of them provided ‘free’ services to encourage use of their systems and services.

Relevance to Internet Governance: It is crucial to Internet Governance to deal with data protection, specially related to children and teenagers. AI is prominent resource and it can certainly promote improvements in the teaching and learning processes, but it is essential to protect rights and also to promote people's citizens awareness regarding the evolution of technology. In the case of basic education, the problem is even greater because it involves children and adolescents. Data Protection Laws are emerging or come into force in different countries, which bring a specific article on data protection for this group, so schools and educational systems need to rethink their role in relation to the choices they make, as well as promoting professional development for teachers and teaching students on the importance of this issue. Once public-private partnerships are established and service migrations are made, such as institutional e-mails, it is very difficult for institutions and networks to reverse their dependency on these new systems.

Relevance to Theme: With COVID-19, a large number of tech companies and platforms begin offering tools for distance education as a way to maintain educational activities. Many of them provided ‘free’ services to encourage use of their systems and services. “Surveillance capitalism,” a term used to designate business models based on the extensive extraction of personal data by algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques in order to obtain predictions about user behavior, using this information to offer and sell products and services. There is a lack of regulation of partnerships established by public education with commercial organizations, which compromise the right to privacy and personal data protection of citizens, particularly children and adolescents. These partnerships do not involve the expenditure of financial resources by the public administration. However, there is a hidden value extracted from the collection of our data and metadata.

Discussion Facilitation:

Organizers will presente the session purpose and show to the audience the unprecedented mapping shows how public education institutions in Brazil are exposed to “surveillance capitalism”. The idea of the session is to discuss the lack of transparency and regulation in public-private relations in technological platforms and services around the world, compromising users’ rights such as privacy and the protection of personal data. Each panelist will make a brief explanation on the topic, according to their specialty (Human Rights, Education, AI, Data Protection etc) and, in sequence, we will open the debate to the online and onside audience. We wil organize our community on-line from Brazil and some partners from Latin America countries to join us during the session and using social networks to spread the discussion. We would like to encourage our audience and panelists to cocreate a recommendation draft or proposal draft focused on orientation for governments, schools, and education systems when they have to choose between alternative tools based in open source and free software or negotiate with owner companies.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool.

SDGs:

GOAL 4: Quality Education

Reference Document