Algo-Resist

Governments and technology are inextricably linked. From name and address lists to the tax authorities, data centers, algorithmic decision-making, and the development of 3D city maps, almost every government organization uses technology to manage policy implementation.

However, the use of what we might call "automation technologies" is not without risk. For example, risk profiling has played a prominent role in unlawful government actions, much data-driven policy seems to operate in a legal gray area, and data centers are being built even though they should not be permitted on paper.

Whether such technology-related risks actually exist or will exist is a question that civil servants are expected not only to ask themselves and each other, but also to answer. But how do you do that, and based on what knowledge? What if the answer is that a particular deployment is not legitimate? What do you do then? What can you do? The "action" questions, in particular, are underexposed in current research.

In the Algo-Resist project, we organize workshops to help civil servants deal with technology-driven policies they find problematic. How do you recognize problematic technology policies when you're in the middle of them? And what can you do about policies that are unacceptable? What room for resistance or pushback is there in the systems you operate within daily? The focus is on situations where technology policies clash; unclear rules, opaque systems, or risky technology.

About the research

Algo-Resist is part of Dr. Gijs van Maanen's "Mundane Tech Governance" project, in which he conducts research on public-private interactions in the Netherlands within the technology domain. He is particularly interested in how this distinction is made in practice and how it influences the way government develops technology.

If you would like to learn more about the research, please email g.vanmaanen ⟨ at ⟩ tilburguniversity.edu.