This piece is part of OGP’s “Open Algorithms Blog Series.” Read other posts in the series here.

Algorithms – analytical systems that process data and supplement or replace decision-making previously undertaken by people – have become an essential way for governments to improve delivery of public services and implementation of policy. More and more, governments are using algorithms to make decisions that have a concrete impact on people’s lives, from allocating heart transplants to filling vacancies at daycare centres.

It’s crucial that citizens can access information about how these decisions are made and what data is used to build these algorithms, and have the know-how and opportunity to challenge automated processes. Cases, such as a pilot immigration program used in New Zealand and the Dutch System Risk Indication (SyRI) benefits fraud detection system, show how important it is to embed transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, accountability, digital rights and user-engagement into government automated decision-makingAs governments are increasingly turning to algorithms to support decision-making for public services, transparency and accountability of algorithm use is necessary to minimize their harm and increase ... More processes. 

Last month, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) hosted an online exchange of officials from three implementing agencies in the Partnership: Etalab from the Government of France, the Association of Municipalities of the Netherlands, and the Government Chief Data Steward from the New Zealand Government, to exchange experiences, and dig into some of the challenges in opening up algorithms to public scrutiny. Here are some highlights from the discussion:

Communicating complexity

We know from the open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... movement that transparency is insufficient – a data dump on a portal is not meaningful without sufficient awareness, educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... and participation. The same principle applies to algorithms.

We need to enable citizens to exercise their rights and hold their governments accountable in relation to use of algorithms. But there is not yet a broad understanding of what algorithms are, or how they might be used in public decision-making. Additionally, the average person is unlikely to have the technical knowledge or time to look into source code or interpret a dataset. With this in mind, it may be more helpful to focus public engagement and discussions on specific case studies and issues around data sharing and consent. 

As part of the Netherlands’ OGP commitment on open algorithms, reformers brought together 150 people from all walks of life, including civil society, artists and scientists, to raise awareness and talk about the government’s use of algorithms. Additionally, an interview with the policy-makers has been published to help with public understanding. Such government efforts can be supported by increased activism on the part of civil society to help demonstrate the value of opening up algorithms.

It’s also important to seize the opportunity of heightened public interest, which can emerge in the wake of scandals, or as we currently see in the midst of the pandemic. COVID-19 presents a clear opportunity to educate citizens on their digital rights, given the current focus on privacy and data use in relation to track and tracing apps.

Building government capability

It’s not just citizens who need more information and knowledge about algorithms. Inside government, there is also a need to train and equip civil servants with the right expertise, as well as increase awareness of the benefits and importance of additional complex procedures, such as impact assessments. That’s why all three countries have developed guidance to help governments and civil servants navigate the responsible use of algorithms (France, Netherlands and New Zealand). Etalab in France has also been working to support government agencies in the implementation of the legal framework that supports accountability and transparency of public sector algorithms.

Surfacing and addressing bias

All data, and therefore all algorithms, contain bias. The key is to understand where bias could lie, and how to handle the data and its processing fairly, and in line with community expectations. Data ethics training for civil servants is crucial and could be accompanied by expert advisory groups, such as the one set up in New Zealand, in order to help manage risks and define responsibilities. 

Developing international standards

As government use of algorithms increases, there is growing discussion about international standards, and how to reconcile different approaches and find commonalities. Standards can be more effective if accompanied by a professional accountability body and grievance mechanisms, underscored by an appropriate legal framework. If there is wider interest, OGP could work with partners to start looking into the existing standards (e.g. OECD Principles on AI), and other resources, inventories (e.g. Algorithm Watch’s AI Ethics Guidelines Global Inventory), guidelines and concrete use cases, to help identify what has or hasn’t been working.

Next steps

Etalab, the Association of Municipalities of the Netherlands, and New Zealand’s Government Chief Data Steward are considering ways to continue their productive discussions. OGP also wants to engage a broader group of governments, civil society and international partners from other regions to drive this discussion forward, and explore other questions such as transparency and accountability of government procurement of algorithms and AI systems, how to approach impact assessments, and how this topic relates to COVID-19. Watch this space!

FRANCE

NETHERLANDS

NEW ZEALAND

Download the examples as a PDF here.

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