The Deepfake Education Competition is open to high school, undergrad, and grad students “Deepfakes”—the use of AI to generate deceptive visual media depicting real people […]
CITRIS Policy Lab
The Risks and Rewards of Emerging Technologies within Public Services
Investments in digital infrastructure in the public sector have lagged for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has torn back the curtain to reveal a dilapidated IT […]
The Future of Public Sector Work: Human-Centered Technology and Policy Strategies
Future of Public Sector Work is a new report released by the CITRIS Policy Lab with support from Microsoft. Facing rising workload demands, labor shortages, […]
Call for Proposals: Human Rights by Design Fellowship
Taraaz and the CITRIS Policy Lab are pleased to announce the launch of the Human Rights by Design Fellowship Program. Two $1000 fellowships will be provided to University […]
Blockchain for the public good
Over the last year, I have had the privilege to lead the California Blockchain Working Group, which delivered its report to the Legislature in early July. Established by AB […]
As millions of students turn to online education, the FCC must implement bold changes to close the digital divide
With confirmed cases of coronavirus on the rise in the US, over 100,000 schools have closed, disrupting the education of over 55 million students. While many schools are […]
Targeting the Caravan: Debunking an Anti-Migrant Video Spread as U.S. Right-Wing Propaganda
The gross misrepresentation of events exemplified in this tweet came to my attention during my involvement in a research project between the CITRIS Policy Lab and the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley which analyzed thousands of tweets from the top 10 most influential bot and non-bot accounts spreading anti-migrant propaganda on Twitter leading up to the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.
California’s Anti-Deepfake Law
CITRIS Policy Lab Director Brandie Nonnecke appeared on the Unprecedented podcast to discuss California’s Anti-Deepfake Law and some of the flaws in the policy. Nonnecke believes the law […]
The Kids Are Online—and Alright
Lack of broadband access is a greater threat to the well-being of young people than too much access. CITRIS Executive Director Camille Crittenden knocks down the conventional […]
Tech for refugees and immigrants
With 70.8 million people displaced globally this year, ensuring the safety of these populations is a critical issue. CITRIS and the Banatao Institute have launched technological and policy innovations to help protect refugees and immigrants. Projects range from mapping refugee services and transparency technologies to a digital propaganda study on immigration hate speech on Twitter in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Health, Wildfires & Climate Change in California
In Spring 2019, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute collaborated with the California Institute for […]
How the ‘California effect’ could shape a global approach to ethical AI
World Economic Forum: Amid growing concern over the threat of AI-enabled systems to perpetuate discrimination and bias and infringe upon privacy, California has introduced several bills intended to […]
CITRIS Policy Lab releases two new white papers on digital identification and facial recognition
The CITRIS Policy Lab published two white papers, outlining civil and political rights protections for digital ID and facial recognition systems, to two leading organizations in these fields — ID2020 and GoodID.
Bolinas to be case study in evacuation
Point Reyes Light: CITRIS visiting scholar Louise Comfort will join a yearlong study in Bolinas, CA along with other UC Berkeley researchers to develop the […]
CITRIS E.D. Camille Crittenden named Chair of California Blockchain Working Group
Camille Crittenden to lead 20 blockchain tech and policy experts under Assembly Bill 2658.
Big tech firms racing to track climate refugees
“Everybody deserves to have formal identification that they can use to exert their rights,” says Brandie Nonnecke, director of the CITRIS Policy Lab, as to […]
Fifty years of surveillance law in America
Cyrus Farivar, investigative tech reporter at NBC News and Habeas Data author, discusses 10 legal cases that have had an outsized impact on surveillance and […]
Misinformation Spreading About Abortion Ban
Buzzfeed: Recent abortion bans have spurred a rash of misleading claims online consistent with research from the CITRIS Policy Lab on the role of bots […]
AI that’s fair, reliable, safe: California can lead the way
Today, automated decision systems influence who receives health insurance, parole, and job offers. The California legislature is leading the nation in establishing standards for accountability, […]
CITRIS 2019 Seed Funding Awards Announced
Competitive teams from the campuses of CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Merced, Davis, and Davis Health submitted proposals for collaborative […]
CITRIS to U.S. Capitol to help inform tech policy
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute are ramping up efforts to bring technology expertise to national policymakers in Washington DC. Director Costas Spanos and CITRIS Policy […]
Berkeley City Councilmembers Tour CITRIS and the Banatao Institute at UC Berkeley
Berkeley City Councilmembers Tour CITRIS and learn about ways CITRIS is advancing information technology in the interest of society. Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and City […]
Announcing new directors for expanded programs
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute are pleased to introduce new directors coming on board to support an expanded set of programs for the multicampus institute, […]
Indonesia tsunami’s power surprises scientists
“It’s heartbreaking when you know the technology is there,” says CITRIS Policy Lab affiliate scholar Louise Comfort, who has been working to bring new tsunami sensors […]