Thread by @allthecitizens

🔴NEW: Lack of transparency over police forces' covert use of predictive policing software raises concerns about human rights abuses:

@allthecitizens/@BylineTimes have discovered over £5m in government work issued to social media monitoring firm Dataminr.

The UK gov is deploying software used to shut down BLM protests in the US.

Research released today in @SageJournals, by @dreleanordrage / @fedefrabetti1 shows how the software is more likely to flag left wing, black and brown crowds as potential threats:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01…

Dataminr have been awarded work with the Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office, and Foreign Office between 2017-2022, but details of their work with all departments is considered exempt under FOI, as is whether they’re working with police in the UK.

https://twitter.com/allthecitizens/status/1542822471442767872?s=20

However, Dominic Fortescue, former gov chief security officer, held an advisory position with them in 2022; while former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe was paid to deliver an online video conference for the company in relation to its work for the MOD.

Lord Nigel Darroch also held a consultancy position with the firm as late as 2022, with Dataminr featured among others at the ‘future policing’ zone of last year’s emergency services event, chaired by Hogan-Howe.

.@allthecitizens have found that several companies, Dataminr included, produce predictive policing or AI surveillance software which would potentially give the police worrying new powers.
theintercept.com/2020/10/21/dat…

The police are able to withhold information on these entities due to “national security” and “law enforcement” exemptions, making any work they do with police hidden.

In new research, @dreleanordrage/@fedefrabetti1 show how, far from being a neutral observational tool, Dataminr is more likely to send law enforcement clients an alert about gatherings that politically oppose the government.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01…

Based on Machine Learning, Dataminr “learns” to identify a protest by scanning data and making associations based on past events, according to law enforcement’s existing concerns and perceptions of what a dangerous protest is.

In 2016 Dataminr worked with South African law enforcement to monitor students at the #Shackville protests, who were asking for Black students to have access to decent university accommodation at the University of Cape Town.

Despite @aclu forcing a partial ban on Dataminr’s use by the US police, there are no such limitations on how Dataminr could be used in the UK. The authors are concerned about the lack of transparency and oversight on how AI is used in policing.

They point to the current policing context, notably the Public Order Bill’s aim to shut down protests like Just Stop Oil’s “slow marching” before disruption begins. The Bill has been firmly contested, and amendments suggested in the Lords are being considered before royal assent.

Full story by @MC_00_ in @BylineTimes below:

bylinetimes.com/2023/03/28/lac…

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