Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, Urmila Janardan, Tinuola Dada and Harlan Yu October 20, 2020
Mass Extraction
This report is the most comprehensive examination of U.S. law enforcement’s use of mobile device forensic tools. Our research shows that every American is at risk of having their phone forensically searched by law enforcement.
all policing all report Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, Urmila Janardan, Tinuola Dada and Harlan Yu 2020-10-20 00:00:00 +0000 Executive Summary Every day, law enforcement agencies across the country search thousands of cellphones, typically incident to arrest. To search phones, law enforcement agencies use mobile device forensic tools (MDFTs), a powerful technology that allows police to extract a full copy of data from a cellphone — all emails, texts, photos, location, app data, and more — which can then be programmatically searched. As one expert puts it, with the amount of sensitive information stored on smartphon...Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada October 30, 2020
DC Council Testimony on Eviction Record Sealing Authority Amendment Act
Upturn submitted this testimony in support of DC legislation that would seal many eviction records and limit their use to make housing decisions.
all housing all written-testimony Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada 2020-10-30 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn submitted this testimony in support of DC legislation that would seal many eviction records and limit their use to make housing decisions. Millions of people are evicted every year, and many end up locked out of future housing opportunities simply for having an eviction record in their name, regardless of the circumstances or outcome of the case. Eviction record sealing measures are an urgently necessary step toward housing more people.Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada October 27, 2020
DC Council Testimony on Fair Tenant Screening Act
Upturn testified in support of a bill to make it harder for landlords to reject tenants because of eviction records and credit history.
all housing all written-testimony Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada 2020-10-27 00:00:00 +0000 The DC Council is considering several renter protections that housing advocates have been working on for years. Upturn testified in support of a bill to make it harder for landlords to reject tenants because of eviction records and credit history. We described how tenant screening companies work, and explained why the DC Council should ensure the efficacy of fair housing and tenant screening rules by covering tenant screening companies.Emily Paul, Logan Koepke, Urmila Janardan, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte October 15, 2020
Amicus Brief on Probabilistic DNA Analysis
Working with the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard Law School, we filed a brief in *New Jersey v. Pickett* supporting the defense’s request to fully examine TrueAllele, the probabilistic DNA analysis software used in the case, in order to assess its reliability.
all criminal-courts all amicus-brief Emily Paul, Logan Koepke, Urmila Janardan, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte 2020-10-15 00:00:00 +0000 Working with the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard Law School, we filed a brief with the Superior Court of New Jersey in New Jersey v. Pickett supporting the defense’s request to fully examine TrueAllele, the probabilistic DNA analysis software used in the case, in order to assess its reliability. TrueAllele has not been validated through independent studies and its source code has never been independently reviewed. Our brief argued that each aspect of TrueAllele must be subject to independent and ...Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, Sarika Ram, and Logan Koepke July 07, 2020
Amicus brief on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
This brief argues that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act should not criminalize violations of computer use policies, like terms of service.
all across-the-field all amicus-brief Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, Sarika Ram, and Logan Koepke 2020-07-07 00:00:00 +0000 Alongside the ACLU, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, First Look Media, and several academics, we filed an amicus brief in Van Buren v. United States of America, a case in front of the Supreme Court. Our brief argued that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act should not criminalize violations of computer use policies, like terms of service. Such a broad interpretation of the CFAA would chill critically important online discrimination testing, which frequently requires re...Harlan Yu June 16, 2020
DC Council Testimony on the Police Budget and Surveillance Technologies
Consistent with the calls to defund the police by Black-led DC-based organizers, we testified that the District needs a new approach to public safety, including a significant reduction in taxpayer spending on police surveillance technologies.
all policing all written-testimony Harlan Yu 2020-06-16 00:00:00 +0000 Consistent with the calls to defund the police by Black-led DC-based organizers, we testified that the District needs a new approach to public safety, including a significant reduction in taxpayer spending on police surveillance technologies. Written Testimony of Harlan Yu, Executive Director, Upturn Council of the District of Columbia, Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety Budget Oversight Hearing on the Metropolitan Police Department FY 2021 June 16, 2020 Chairperson Allen, and member...Logan Koepke April 03, 2020
Why PATTERN shouldn't determine "priority release" during COVID
We called on the Attorney General to rescind guidance which said that only individuals assessed as minimum risk by PATTERN should receive “priority treatment” for release during the COVID-19 pandemic.
all criminal-courts all letter Logan Koepke 2020-04-03 00:00:00 +0000 Along with more than 150 organizations, we called on the Attorney General to rescind guidance which said that only individuals assessed as minimum risk by PATTERN — a risk assessment tool built as a result of the First Step Act — should receive “priority treatment” for release during the COVID-19 pandemic. RE: The use of the PATTERN risk assessment in prioritizing release in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Dear Attorney General Barr: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and ...Logan Koepke January 30, 2020
Amicus brief on risk assessment instruments in Pennsylvania
We filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, arguing that the Court should not order the implementation of a pretrial risk assessment instrument as a bail reform measure in Philadelphia.
all criminal-courts all amicus-brief Logan Koepke 2020-01-30 00:00:00 +0000 In Philadelphia Community Bail Fund v. Arraignment Court Magistrates of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, we filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania arguing that the Court should not order the implementation of a pretrial risk assessment instrument as a bail reform measure in Philadelphia. We describe the academic, technical, legal, and policy research that counsels against adopting such a tool. Pretrial risk assessment instruments are inherently flawed becaus...Aaron Rieke, Miranda Bogen, and Shazeda Ahmed December 12, 2019
Awareness in Practice
In a paper presented at the 2020 Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in Machine Learning, we describe how and when private companies collect or infer sensitive attribute data, such as a person’s race or ethnicity, for antidiscrimination purposes.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, Miranda Bogen, and Shazeda Ahmed 2019-12-12 00:00:00 +0000 In a paper presented at the 2020 Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in Machine Learning, we describe how and when private companies collect or infer sensitive attribute data, such as a person’s race or ethnicity, for antidiscrimination purposes. This paper uses the domains of employment, credit, and healthcare in the United States to surface conditions that have shaped the availability of sensitive attribute data. For each domain, we describe how and when private compan...Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, Harlan Yu, and Urmila Janardan December 23, 2019
Upturn, Inc. v. New York City Police Department
We are suing the NYPD for records concerning the department’s use of mobile device forensic technology. Upturn is represented on a pro-bono basis by Shearman & Sterling, LLP and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.).
all policing all litigation Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, Harlan Yu, and Urmila Janardan 2019-12-23 00:00:00 +0000 We are suing the NYPD for records concerning the department’s use of mobile device forensic technology. We sought these records as part of our investigation into the tools that police departments across the US use to search cellphones. The NYPD denied our request for records of using these tools. Upturn is represented on a pro-bono basis by Shearman & Sterling, LLP and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.).Aaron Rieke, Logan Koepke, and Miranda Bogen November 16, 2018
Section 230 should not fully immunize Facebook’s Ad Platform from the Fair Housing Act
We filed a legal brief in *Onuoha v. Facebook* about Section 230 and Facebook's Ad Platform.
all housing all amicus-brief Aaron Rieke, Logan Koepke, and Miranda Bogen 2018-11-16 00:00:00 +0000 We filed a legal brief in Onuoha v. Facebook arguing that Section 230 should not fully immunize Facebook’s Ad Platform from the Fair Housing Act. We describe how Facebook itself, independently of its advertisers, participates in the targeting and delivery of housing advertisements based on protected status: by creating "Lookalike Audiences" for housing advertisers based on its users’ protected class status, Facebook develops content that materially contributes to violations of the Fair Housin...Harlan Yu and Logan Koepke June 19, 2019
In Support of Public Access to Legal Decisions Regarding Government Surveillance
Together with computer security experts, we filed an amicus brief in support of the unsealing of a judicial opinion regarding the federal government’s attempt to wiretap Facebook Messenger voice calls, which are end-to-end encrypted.
all policing all amicus-brief Harlan Yu and Logan Koepke 2019-06-19 00:00:00 +0000 Together with computer security experts, we filed an amicus brief in support of the unsealing of a judicial opinion regarding the federal government’s attempt to wiretap Facebook Messenger voice calls, which are end-to-end encrypted. Individuals cannot know, or obey, laws they cannot read. When a court decides a case, it applies and explains the law—and that precedent is used by and against individuals in subsequent cases. It is also used to decide how to structure one’s personal and business...Logan Koepke and David Robinson December 12, 2019
Civil Rights and Pretrial Risk Assessment Instruments
We co-led the Pretrial Risk Management Project of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; as part of this project, we published a critical issue brief on pretrial risk assessment instruments and civil rights concerns.
all criminal-courts all report Logan Koepke and David Robinson 2019-12-12 00:00:00 +0000 We co-led the Pretrial Risk Management Project of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. As part of this project, we published a critical issue brief on pretrial risk assessment, which focused on two questions. First: Why do many in the civil rights community oppose the use of pretrial risk assessment instruments? Second: What concrete reform strategies are available that would avoid risk assessment instruments, or would sharply limit their role? At the very moment jurisdictions...Logan Koepke and David Robinson February 19, 2018
Danger Ahead
Bail reform is rapidly underway. But at the same moment that jurisdictions work to reduce the true risks of pretrial release through reform policies, jurisdictions across the country are also adopting statistical tools that will blindly predict such risks remain as high as ever.
all criminal-courts all article Logan Koepke and David Robinson 2018-02-19 00:00:00 +0000 In the last five years, legislators in all fifty states have made changes to their pretrial justice systems. Reform efforts aim to shrink jails by incarcerating fewer people— particularly poor, low-risk defendants and racial minorities. Many jurisdictions are embracing pretrial risk assessment instruments—statistical tools that use historical data to forecast which defendants can safely be released—as a centerpiece of reform. Now, many are questioning the extent to which pretrial risk assessm...Logan Koepke December 14, 2018
Comments to California Judicial Council on S.B. 10 and Pretrial Risk Information
We filed comments with the Judicial Council of California on two of its proposed new court rules. We argued that the proposed rules on how courts use pretrial risk assessment tools need significant modifications in order to be constitutionally defensible and to protect civil rights.
all criminal-courts all comments Logan Koepke 2018-12-14 00:00:00 +0000 We filed comments with the Judicial Council of California on two of its proposed new court rules on the use of pretrial risk assessment instruments. We argued that the proposed rules on how courts use pretrial risk assessment tools need significant modifications in order to be constitutionally defensible and to protect civil rights. Re: Proposed California Rules of Court 4.10 and 4.40 On behalf of Upturn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, The Leadership Conference Educat...Miranda Bogen May 06, 2019
All the Ways Hiring Algorithms Can Introduce Bias
In the Harvard Business Review, Miranda explains what we mean when we talk about “hiring algorithms” and why predictive hiring technology is far more likely to erode equity than it is to promote it.
all labor-and-employment all article Miranda Bogen 2019-05-06 00:00:00 +0000 In Harvard Business Review, Miranda explains what we mean when we talk about “hiring algorithms” and why predictive hiring technology is far more likely to erode equity than it is to promote it. Understanding bias in hiring algorithms and ways to mitigate it requires us to explore how predictive technologies work at each step of the hiring process. Though they commonly share a backbone of machine learning, tools used earlier in the process can be fundamentally different than those used later ...Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, and Urmila Janardan February 03, 2020
The Future of Work
We urged the Subcommittee to ensure that hiring technologies are developed and used in ways that respect people’s civil rights, and offered recommendations concerning transparency and oversight.
all labor-and-employment all letter Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, and Urmila Janardan 2020-02-03 00:00:00 +0000 Together with The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, we urged the House Education and Labor Committee's Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee to ensure that hiring technologies are developed and used in ways that respect people’s civil rights, and offered recommendations concerning transparency and oversight. RE: Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee Hearing on The Future of Work: Protecting Workers’ Civil Rights in the Digital Age Dear Chairwoman Bonamici and...Aaron Rieke October 19, 2014
Knowing the Score
A “missing manual” for policy professionals seeking to better understand technology’s impact on financial underwriting and marketing.
all credit-and-finance all report Aaron Rieke 2014-10-19 00:00:00 +0000 This report describes two important ways that new data and technologies are changing the American consumer credit marketplace. First, new kinds of data are flowing into the computerized decisionmaking systems that determine who gets access to credit, and on what terms. This “alternative data” has the greatest impact on financially underserved consumers, whose creditworthiness is not well described in traditional credit reports. Credit bureaus have begun to receive certain kinds of mainstream ...Aaron Rieke and Logan Koepke October 01, 2015
Led Astray
We explain how online lead generation works, describe the risks and legal complexities specific to lead generation for online payday loans, document the widespread use of search ads by payday lead generators, and recommend interventions.
all credit-and-finance all report Aaron Rieke and Logan Koepke 2015-10-01 00:00:00 +0000 Online commerce, once a luxury, is now central to people’s lives. The Internet is more than just a convenient place to shop for electronics or to book a vacation. Increasingly, it’s also where people go to find a loan, evaluate college degree programs, and seek financial advice. In order to ensure that vulnerable consumers are appropriately protected, consumer and civil rights advocates, regulators, journalists, and others need to understand the realities of new online marketplaces. Lead gene...Aaron Rieke May 13, 2016
Google was right to get tough on payday loan ads
After Google’s announcement that it will ban ads for payday loans, Aaron explains why this was a good call.
all credit-and-finance all article Aaron Rieke 2016-05-13 00:00:00 +0000 Google announced Wednesday that it will soon ban ads for payday loans. For more on this shift, see one of these many excellent news stories. My colleagues and I at Upturn are part of a diverse coalition of advocates that worked with Google on this new policy. Upturn published a report last fall, Led Astray, that explained the inner workings of payday loan marketing, and helped spark the conversation that led to this week’s change. As you might expect, I think Google made a great call. Here’s ...Aaron Rieke August 11, 2016
Don’t let the hype over “social media scores” distract you
How much of the public concern and reporting about “social media scores” has come untethered from reality.
all credit-and-finance all article Aaron Rieke 2016-08-11 00:00:00 +0000 “Creepy startup will help landlords, employers and online dates strip-mine intimate data from your Facebook page.” I saw the headline and cringed. But not because I was worried about snooping landlords. That story, in the Washington Post, featured a startup bragging that it could turn social media profiles into reports for landlords. The reports would rank applicants’ personality traits and financial stress levels, and would even note if they mentioned a pregnancy. “If you’re living a normal ...Upturn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Americans for Financial Reform May 19, 2017
Comments to the CFPB on Alternative Credit Data
We explore the risks and benefits of new types of credit data for historically disadvantaged groups.
all credit-and-finance all comments Upturn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Americans for Financial Reform 2017-05-19 00:00:00 +0000 With The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Americans for Financial Reform, we explore the risks and benefits of new types of credit data for historically disadvantaged groups. The comments spotlight data that is most predictive of likelihood and ability to repay, and least likely to raise fair lending concerns.Aaron Rieke July 25, 2019
Examining the Use of Alternative Data in Underwriting and Credit Scoring to Expand Access to Credit
Aaron testified that some types of nontraditional data can help underserved consumers access credit.
all credit-and-finance all written-testimony Aaron Rieke 2019-07-25 00:00:00 +0000 Before the House Committee on Financial Services’s Task Force on Financial Technology, Aaron testified that some types of nontraditional data can help underserved consumers access credit.Emma Weil May 04, 2020
Auto Controllers
In Logic Magazine, Emma writes about starter interrupt devices, the small networked devices that are killing car engines and ruining people’s lives.
all credit-and-finance all article Emma Weil 2020-05-04 00:00:00 +0000 This piece originally appears in Logic's issue 10, "Security". T. Candice Smith was driving to work in the express lane of a Las Vegas freeway in 2012 when her car suddenly malfunctioned. Her steering wheel froze and the car shut off. When it rolled to a stop, she and her friend got out and pushed the car to the shoulder. Once she was out of the way of traffic, she noticed a chirping sound coming from inside her dashboard. It was coming from a machine installed by her auto lender: a “starter ...Aaron Rieke, Logan Koepke, and Urmila Janardan October 18, 2019
Comments to the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Disparate Impact
We argued that HUD’s proposed changes to its disparate impact rule would undermine crucial housing protections for vulnerable communities by reducing plaintiffs’ ability to address discriminatory effects from the use of algorithmic models.
all housing all comments Aaron Rieke, Logan Koepke, and Urmila Janardan 2019-10-18 00:00:00 +0000 We argued that HUD’s proposed changes to its disparate impact rule would undermine crucial housing protections for vulnerable communities by reducing plaintiffs’ ability to address discriminatory effects arising from the use of algorithmic models. Re: Reconsideration of HUD's Implementation of the Fair Housing Act's Disparate Impact Standard, Docket No. FR-6111-P-02 Upturn writes to provide comments in response to the above-docketed notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) concerning propos...Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada May 20, 2021
DC Council Testimony on the Eviction Record Sealing Authority Amendment Act of 2021
Upturn submitted this testimony supporting the passage of eviction sealing legislation in the District of Columbia and urging the DC Council to amend the bill to require all evictions to be automatically sealed at the point of filing.
all housing all written-testimony Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada 2021-05-20 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn submitted this testimony supporting the passage of eviction sealing legislation in the District of Columbia and urging the DC Council to amend the bill to require all evictions to be automatically sealed at the point of filing. Eviction records are artifacts of discrimination and should not be used to determine access to housing. In this testimony, we described how sealing is the best way to prevent tenant screening companies from circulating obsolete or misleading eviction records. W...Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, and Logan Koepke March 12, 2021
Why Facebook's Ad Platform shouldn't be fully immunized by Section 230
We filed a legal brief arguing that Section 230 should not fully immunize Facebook’s Ad Platform from liability under a California antidiscrimination law.
all across-the-field all amicus-brief Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, and Logan Koepke 2021-03-12 00:00:00 +0000 We filed a legal brief in Liapes v. Facebook arguing that Section 230 should not fully immunize Facebook’s Ad Platform from liability under a California antidiscrimination law. We describe how Facebook itself, independently of its advertisers, participates in the targeting and delivery of insurance ads based on gender and age.Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, and Logan Koepke June 26, 2020
Amicus brief on discrimination and Facebook's Ad Platform
We filed a legal brief arguing that Section 230 should not fully immunize Facebook’s Ad Platform from liability under California and D.C. law prohibiting discrimination. We describe how Facebook itself, independently of its advertisers, participates in the targeting and delivery of financial services ads based on gender and age.
all across-the-field all amicus-brief Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, and Logan Koepke 2020-06-26 00:00:00 +0000 We filed a legal brief in Opiotennione v. Facebook arguing that Section 230 should not fully immunize Facebook’s Ad Platform from liability under California and D.C. law prohibiting discrimination. We describe how Facebook itself, independently of its advertisers, participates in the targeting and delivery of financial services ads based on gender and age.Aaron Rieke, Piotr Sapiezynski, Avijit Ghosh, Levi Kaplan, and Alan Mislove December 13, 2019
Algorithms that "Don't See Color"
Our empirical research showed that Facebook’s “Special Audiences” ad targeting tool can reflect demographic biases. We provide experimental proof that removing demographic features from a real-world algorithmic system’s inputs can fail to prevent biased outputs.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, Piotr Sapiezynski, Avijit Ghosh, Levi Kaplan, and Alan Mislove 2019-12-13 00:00:00 +0000 Today, algorithmic models are shaping important decisions in domains such as credit, employment, or criminal justice. At the same time, these algorithms have been shown to have discriminatory effects. Some organizations have tried to mitigate these effects by removing demographic features from an algorithm's inputs. If an algorithm is not provided with a feature, one might think, then its outputs should not discriminate with respect to that feature. This may not be true, however, when there a...Aaron Rieke, Muhammad Ali, Piotr Sapiezynski, Aleksandra Korolova, and Alan Mislove December 09, 2019
Ad Delivery Algorithms
Our empirical research showed that Facebook’s ad delivery algorithms effectively differentiate the price of reaching a user based on their inferred political alignment with the advertised content, inhibiting political campaigns’ ability to reach voters with diverse political views.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, Muhammad Ali, Piotr Sapiezynski, Aleksandra Korolova, and Alan Mislove 2019-12-09 00:00:00 +0000 Political campaigns are increasingly turning to digital advertising to reach voters. These platforms empower advertisers to target messages to platform users with great precision, including through inferences about those users' political affiliations. However, prior work has shown that platforms' ad delivery algorithms can selectively deliver ads within these target audiences in ways that can lead to demographic skews along race and gender lines, often without an advertiser's knowledge. In th...Aaron Rieke and Corrine Yu April 15, 2019
Discrimination's Digital Frontier
In The Atlantic, we argue that digital platforms — which deliver exponentially more ads than their newsprint predecessors — are making core civil-rights laws increasingly challenging to enforce.
all across-the-field all article Aaron Rieke and Corrine Yu 2019-04-15 00:00:00 +0000 In The Atlantic, we argue that digital platforms — which deliver exponentially more ads than their newsprint predecessors — are making core civil-rights laws increasingly challenging to enforce. Corrine and Aaron write: "Facebook must redouble its efforts to address all facets of potential discrimination in its ad system. As a part of that, the company should provide the public with far more detail about how its advertising system works, especially more information about the ads it runs, incl...Aaron Rieke, Miranda Bogen, Muhammad Ali, Piotr Sapiezynski, Aleksandra Korolova, and Alan Mislove April 03, 2019
Discrimination Through Optimization
Our empirical research showed that Facebook itself can skew the delivery of job and housing ads along race and gender lines, even when advertisers target broad audiences.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, Miranda Bogen, Muhammad Ali, Piotr Sapiezynski, Aleksandra Korolova, and Alan Mislove 2019-04-03 00:00:00 +0000 The enormous financial success of online advertising platforms is partially due to the precise targeting features they offer. Although researchers and journalists have found many ways that advertisers can target — or exclude — particular groups of users seeing their ads, comparatively little attention has been paid to the implications of the platform's ad delivery process, comprised of the platform's choices about which users see which ads. It has been hypothesized that this process can "skew...Miranda Bogen, Aaron Rieke, and Hannah Masuga August 20, 2018
How algorithmic decision tools impact consumer welfare
We offered comments to the Federal Trade Commission on the implications of algorithmic decision tools used in consumer advertising and marketing campaigns.
all across-the-field all comments Miranda Bogen, Aaron Rieke, and Hannah Masuga 2018-08-20 00:00:00 +0000 We offered comments to the Federal Trade Commission on the implications of algorithmic decision tools used in consumer advertising and marketing campaigns. We made several recommendations to the FTC: Lack of visibility into online advertising practices and technologies is an impediment to effective consumer protection. The FTC should encourage digital ad platforms to open all ads and targeting criteria to public scrutiny.Advertising algorithms can play a meaningful role in discriminatory adv...Aaron Rieke, David Robinson, and Miranda Bogen February 28, 2018
Public Scrutiny of Automated Decisions
Automated decisions are increasingly part of everyday life, but how can the public scrutinize, understand, and govern them? This Upturn and Omidyar Network report maps out the landscape, providing practical examples and a framework to think about what has worked.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, David Robinson, and Miranda Bogen 2018-02-28 00:00:00 +0000 Automated decisions are increasingly part of everyday life, but how can the public scrutinize, understand, and govern them? This report from Upturn and the Omidyar Network maps out the landscape, providing practical examples and a framework to think about what has worked. Our key findings in this report are: Today’s automated decisions are socio-technical in nature: They emerge from a mix of human judgment, conventional software, and statistical models. The non-technical properties of these s...Aaron Rieke December 03, 2016
Facebook, race, and ads
Facebook can and should do more to protect its users from discrimination — especially in civil rights areas like housing, credit, and employment.
all across-the-field all article Aaron Rieke 2016-12-03 00:00:00 +0000 Facebook made headlines again last week for allowing advertisers to target its users by “ethnic affinity” — a data-driven guess about their racial and cultural interests. Facebook doesn’t ask its users about race, but the company does assess their “likes” and and other behaviors. “Let’s say you are a fan of BET and have shown an interest in #BlackLivesMatter — well, then, you might be categorized as part of an African-American ethnic affinity,” explained Annalee Newitz on Ars Technica. These ...Aaron Rieke, David Robinson, and Harlan Yu September 01, 2014
Civil Rights, Big Data, and Our Algorithmic Future
How and where, exactly, does big data become a civil rights issue? This report begins to answer that question, highlighting key instances where big data and civil rights intersect.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, David Robinson, and Harlan Yu 2014-09-01 00:00:00 +0000 The key decisions that shape people’s lives—decisions about jobs, healthcare, housing, education, criminal justice and other key areas—are, more and more often, being made automatically by computers. As a result, a growing number of important conversations about civil rights, which focus on how these decisions are made, are also becoming discussions about how computer systems work. Earlier this year, a path-breaking coalition of major civil rights and media justice organizations released the ...Upturn, Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law, and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights April 26, 2018
Letter to Axon's AI Ethics Board on Face Recognition and Body-Worn Cameras
We wrote a letter to Axon’s AI Ethics Board to express serious concerns about the direction of Axon’s product development, including the possible integration of real-time face recognition with body-worn camera systems.
all policing all letter Upturn, Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law, and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 2018-04-26 00:00:00 +0000 Together with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law, we wrote a letter to Axon’s AI Ethics Board to express serious concerns about the direction of Axon’s product development, including the possible integration of real-time face recognition with body-worn camera systems. We were joined on this letter by 41 other civil rights, racial justice, and community organizations. Dear Axon AI Ethics Board: We write to express our...Miranda Bogen and Harlan Yu October 12, 2017
Body cameras are only as effective as the policies that govern them
After St. Louis chose to accept a year of free body-worn cameras from Axon, we argued that the city’s police department needed to significantly strengthen civil rights protections in its BWC policies — particularly around when officers can review footage.
all policing all article Miranda Bogen and Harlan Yu 2017-10-12 00:00:00 +0000 After St. Louis chose to accept a year of free body-worn cameras from Axon, we argued in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the city’s police department needed to significantly strengthen civil rights protections in its BWC policies — particularly around when officers can review footage.Aaron Rieke October 30, 2015
Follow the Lead: An FTC Workshop on Lead Generation
Before the FTC, Aaron describes harm arising from online payday lead generation practices, and explains how many lead generators evade state laws.
all credit-and-finance all written-testimony Aaron Rieke 2015-10-30 00:00:00 +0000 Before the Federal Trade Commission, Aaron describes harm arising from online payday lead generation practices, and explains how many lead generators evade state laws.Upturn and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights December 04, 2017
The Illusion of Accuracy
Today, most major police departments that use body-worn cameras allow officers unrestricted footage review. This report explains why police departments must carefully limit officers’ review of body-worn camera footage, and calls for “clean reporting” to be adopted by all police departments.
all policing all report Upturn and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 2017-12-04 00:00:00 +0000 This report explains why police departments must carefully limit officers’ review of body-worn camera footage. Policies that permit unrestricted review of footage reduce the accuracy of officer reports, and undermine the independent evidentiary and investigative value of police reports. Many departments recognize that body-worn cameras will capture details that are different than what officers remember experiencing. Decades of psychology research has shown that watching video replays can easi...Upturn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, MediaJustice, and Color Of Change April 21, 2017
The NYPD's Body-Cam Guidelines Need Fixing
Upturn files an objection to the NYPD’s proposed body-worn camera policy, together with the Leadership Conference, the Center for Media Justice, Color Of Change, and other groups.
all policing all article Upturn, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, MediaJustice, and Color Of Change 2017-04-21 00:00:00 +0000 We filed an objection to the NYPD’s proposed body-worn camera policy, together with the Leadership Conference, the Center for Media Justice, Color Of Change, and other civil rights and civil liberties organizations. We stated our deep concerns about the NYPD's updated Body-Worn Cameras Operations Order, and we provided guidance for the NYPD to amend the order in line with national best practices and critical civil rights protections.Harlan Yu March 13, 2017
Philadelphia City Council Testimony on the Ongoing Implementation of Body-Worn Cameras
Harlan testifies at a hearing held by the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Safety on the Philadelphia Police Department’s current body-worn camera policy, which is not meeting national best practices.
all policing all written-testimony Harlan Yu 2017-03-13 00:00:00 +0000 Harlan testified at a hearing held by the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Safety on the Philadelphia Police Department’s current body-worn camera policy, which is not meeting national best practices. Written Testimony of Harlan Yu, Principal, Upturn Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Safety Hearing on the Ongoing Implementation of Body-Worn Cameras by the Philadelphia Police Department Resolution No. 161113 March 13, 2017 Chairman Jones, Vice Chairman Johnson, an...Brianna Posadas June 22, 2017
How strategic is Chicago's Strategic Subjects List?
Newly released data shows that almost 400,000 people are on Chicago’s “heat list.” Of that group, almost 290,000 have scores that the CPD says will lead to more scrutiny. Our analysis also shows that the most important factor in a person’s score was their age.
all policing all article Brianna Posadas 2017-06-22 00:00:00 +0000 For the past four years, the Chicago Police Department has been working with researchers to build a system for judging which city residents are most likely to be involved in a shooting — either pulling the trigger, or getting shot. The resulting “heat list” — officially called the Strategic Subjects List (SSL) — has, for the most part, been shrouded in secrecy and speculation. What we’ve known is that everyone on the list gets a risk score, reflecting their predicted likelihood of being invol...Harlan Yu and Malkia Cyril December 20, 2017
The Benefits of Police Body Cams are a Myth
Harlan and Malkia Cyril of the Center for Media Justice take a hard look at the impact of police body-worn cameras. “The sad reality is that these cameras mirror the power and the interests of the police, not those of the communities they are sworn to serve,” they write.
all policing all article Harlan Yu and Malkia Cyril 2017-12-20 00:00:00 +0000 Harlan and Malkia Cyril of the Center for Media Justice take a hard look at the impact of police body-worn cameras in this article for TechCrunch. They write: “Body-worn cameras — like all technologies — reflect the values of the people that build and control them. The sad reality is that these cameras mirror the power and the interests of the police, not those of the communities they are sworn to serve. Without deeper structural reforms together with real community oversight, we shouldn’t ex...Harlan Yu April 06, 2017
America Pays for Free Body Cameras With Its Civil Rights
Over at Motherboard, Harlan explains why Axon’s offer of free body-worn cameras for every cop in America is dangerous. It creates a perverse incentive for departments to rush to adopt camera systems without thinking through the hard policy challenges.
all policing all article Harlan Yu 2017-04-06 00:00:00 +0000 On Motherboard, Harlan explains why Axon’s offer of free body-worn cameras for every cop in America is dangerous. It creates a perverse incentive for departments to rush to adopt camera systems without thinking through the hard policy challenges.Harlan Yu and Miranda Bogen April 21, 2017
Objecting to the NYPD’s Body Worn Cameras Operations Order
Upturn files an objection to the NYPD’s proposed body-worn camera policy, together with the Leadership Conference, the Center for Media Justice, Color Of Change, and other groups.
all policing all amicus-brief Harlan Yu and Miranda Bogen 2017-04-21 00:00:00 +0000 In Floyd v. City of New York, Upturn files an objection to the NYPD’s proposed body-worn camera policy, together with the Leadership Conference, the Center for Media Justice, Color Of Change, and other groups. We argue that the Court should require the NYPD to amend its order to follow nationwide best practices, such as mandatory recording, writing reports prior to viewing footage, and creating a process for releasing footage to recorded individuals.Upturn and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights December 14, 2017
Police Body Worn Cameras: A Policy Scorecard (2017)
Together with the Leadership Conference, Upturn releases the latest version of our scorecard that evaluates the police body-worn camera policies in 75 major U.S. cities. It continues to show a nationwide failure to protect the civil rights and privacy of surveilled communities.
all policing all report Upturn and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 2017-12-14 00:00:00 +0000 In the wake of high-profile incidents in Ferguson, Staten Island, North Charleston, Baltimore, and elsewhere, law enforcement agencies across the country have rapidly adopted body-worn cameras for their officers. One of the main selling points for these cameras is their potential to provide transparency into some police interactions, and to help protect civil rights, especially in heavily policed communities of color. But accountability is not automatic. Whether these cameras make police more...David Robinson and Logan Koepke August 31, 2016
Stuck in a Pattern
We find that at least 20 of the nation’s 50 largest police forces have used a predictive policing system, with at least an additional 11 actively exploring options to do so. Vendors shield the technology in secrecy, and informed public debate is rare. Early research findings suggest that these systems may not actually make people safer.
all policing all report David Robinson and Logan Koepke 2016-08-31 00:00:00 +0000 We find that at least 20 of the nation’s 50 largest police forces have used a predictive policing system, with at least an additional 11 actively exploring options to do so. Vendors shield the technology in secrecy, and informed public debate is rare. Early research findings suggest that these systems may not actually make people safer.Harlan Yu April 08, 2016
The Promise and Peril of Body Cameras
At the inaugural Color of Surveillance conference at Georgetown Law, Harlan examines how the U.S. government has monitored African American communities from the colonial era to the present day. In his talk, Harlan discusses how police departments nationwide are using body-worn cameras to surveil communities of color.
all policing all article Harlan Yu 2016-04-08 00:00:00 +0000 At the inaugural Color of Surveillance conference at Georgetown Law, Harlan examines how the U.S. government has monitored African American communities from the colonial era to the present day. In his talk, Harlan discusses how police departments nationwide are using body-worn cameras to surveil communities of color.David Robinson May 26, 2016
In 3 years, Chicago police have tripled their use of a secret, computerized “heat list.”
The list aims to predict who will be involved in future shootings. Its growing role in Chicago policing is a taste of what’s ahead.
all policing all article David Robinson 2016-05-26 00:00:00 +0000 In July of 2013, the Chicago Police Department began using new software to statistically comb through the city’s population. Based on each person’s past police encounters (and the past encounters of people connected to that person), the system initially flagged the top 400 or so people that it judged to have the greatest chance of shooting someone else or getting shot themselves. Journalists love this story: it seemed eerily similar to Minority Report, the science fiction film where police pu...David Robinson August 31, 2016
“Predictive policing” is happening now — and police could learn a lesson from Minority Report.
Law enforcement’s blind faith in a tool that doesn’t always work — a tool that can easily finger the wrong person, with terrible results — provides the central tension for that blockbuster film, and a vital lesson for our present.
all policing all article David Robinson 2016-08-31 00:00:00 +0000 In the movie Minority Report, mutants in a vat look into the future, and tell Tom Cruise who is about to commit a crime, so he can arrest the offender before the crime happens. Spoiler alert: Those mutant fortune tellers turn out not to be infallible, but the cops treat them as though they were. Law enforcement’s blind faith in a tool that doesn’t always work — a tool that can easily finger the wrong person, with terrible results — provides the central tension for that blockbuster film. Real ...Logan Koepke December 21, 2016
Predictive Policing Isn’t About the Future
In a piece published in Slate, Logan argues that popular analysis of predictive policing systems too often focuses on their predictions about the future, and less about the historical data upon which they rely.
all policing all article Logan Koepke 2016-12-21 00:00:00 +0000 In this piece for Slate, Logan argues that popular analysis of predictive policing systems too often focuses on their predictions about the future, and less about the historical data upon which they rely. Hopefully, in the coming decade vendors will construct more thoughtful feedback loops in their systems; look to incorporate other, less biased sources of data; conduct racial impact assessments by default; and focus less on enforcement-based metrics of success. But if the systems continue to...Harlan Yu, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Data & Society December 27, 2015
Data & Civil Rights: A New Era of Policing and Justice
Upturn, Data & Society, and the Leadership Conference host a major conference that explores the intersection of technology and criminal justice for law enforcement officers, government agencies, technology companies, civil rights leaders, technologists, and researchers.
all policing all article Harlan Yu, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Data & Society 2015-12-27 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn, Data & Society, and the Leadership Conference host a major conference that explores the intersection of technology and criminal justice for law enforcement officers, government agencies, technology companies, civil rights leaders, technologists, and researchers.Harlan Yu May 15, 2015
Civil Rights Principles on Body-Worn Cameras
Upturn coordinated the development of a shared set of civil rights principles for body-worn cameras. The principles were endorsed by a major coalition of 34 local and national organizations, including the NAACP, National Council of La Raza, National Urban League, Center for Media Justice, ACLU, and others.
all policing all Harlan Yu 2015-05-15 00:00:00 +0000 In 2015, we coordinated the development of this shared set of civil rights principles for body-worn cameras. The principles were endorsed by a major coalition of 34 local and national organizations, including the NAACP, National Council of La Raza, National Urban League, Center for Media Justice, ACLU, and others. Civil Rights Principles on Body Worn Cameras Mobile cameras operated by law enforcement may play a valuable role in the present and future of policing. Whether they’re worn by an...Miranda Bogen March 01, 2018
What happens to body cam footage after fatal police shootings?
We looked at police shootings from 2017 to see whether video was released to the public, after how long, and under what circumstances — and found that too often, these videos stay hidden.
all policing all article Miranda Bogen 2018-03-01 00:00:00 +0000 According to the Washington Post, police officers shot and killed 987 people in the U.S. in 2017. The Post has tracked fatal police shootings since 2015, collecting more than a dozen details about each incident including the victim’s race, age, gender, whether the victim was armed, and whether the victim was fleeing from officers. The Post also tracks whether or not “[n]ews reports have indicated an officer was wearing a body camera and it may have recorded some portion of the incident.” The ...Aaron Rieke and Miranda Bogen May 09, 2018
Leveling the Platform
In the first rigorous, independent evaluation of Facebook’s new ad transparency plans, we urge the company to improve its ad transparency tools to enable meaningful public scrutiny.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke and Miranda Bogen 2018-05-09 00:00:00 +0000 Executive Summary Facebook runs the world’s largest social network. The company makes money by selling the opportunity to reach its users. Facebook delivers targeted, prioritized messages — from those who can pay — to users who might not otherwise see them. These messages vary widely, and extend far beyond ads for consumer goods. Facebook recently announced new measures to keep advertisers on its platform accountable — including a promise to make all ads on its platform visible to anyone who ...Aaron Rieke and Miranda Bogen December 10, 2018
Help Wanted
Without active measures to mitigate them, bias will arise in predictive hiring tools by default. This report describes popular tools that many employers currently use, explores how these tools affect equity throughout the entire hiring process, and offers reflections and recommendations on where we go from here.
all labor-and-employment all report Aaron Rieke and Miranda Bogen 2018-12-10 00:00:00 +0000 Executive Summary The hiring process is a critical gateway to economic opportunity, determining who can access consistent work to support themselves and their families. Employers have long used digital technology to manage their hiring decisions, and now many are turning to new predictive hiring tools to inform each step of their hiring process. This report explores how predictive tools affect equity throughout the entire hiring process. We explore popular tools that many employers currently ...Aaron Rieke, Urmila Janardan, Mingwei Hsu, and Natasha Duarte July 06, 2021
Essential Work
In this report, we investigate how large hourly employers are using technology to hire for low-wage hourly jobs. We scrutinize 15 online application processes, raise concerns with selection procedures like personality tests, and offer recommendations for employers and policymakers.
all labor-and-employment all report Aaron Rieke, Urmila Janardan, Mingwei Hsu, and Natasha Duarte 2021-07-06 00:00:00 +0000 Executive Summary Most workers in the United States depend on hourly wages to support themselves and their families. To apply for these jobs, especially at the entry level, job seekers commonly fill out online applications. Online applications for hourly work can be daunting and inscrutable. Candidates — many of whom are young people, people of color, and people with disabilities — may end up filling out dozens of applications, while receiving no responses from employers. This report provides...David Robinson and Miranda Bogen October 06, 2016
Data Ethics
This project maps the ways that data at scale may pose risks to philanthropic priorities and beneficiaries, identifies key questions that funders and grantees should consider before undertaking data-intensive work, and offers recommendations for funders to address emergent data ethics issues.
all across-the-field all David Robinson and Miranda Bogen 2016-10-06 00:00:00 +0000 Executive Summary “Data at scale” — digital information collected, stored and used in ways that are newly feasible — opens new avenues for philanthropic investment. At the same time, projects that leverage data at scale create new risks that are not addressed by existing regulatory, legal and best practice frameworks. Data-oriented projects funded by major foundations are a natural proving ground for the ethical principles and controls that should guide the ethical treatment of data in the so...Aaron Rieke, David Robinson, and Harlan Yu March 01, 2016
What ISPs Can See
A technical assessment of the present and potential future monitoring capabilities available to internet service providers.
all across-the-field all report Aaron Rieke, David Robinson, and Harlan Yu 2016-03-01 00:00:00 +0000 Introduction In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reclassified broadband Internet service providers (ISPs) as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act. This shift triggered a statutory mandate for the FCC to protect the privacy of broadband Internet subscribers’ information. The FCC is now considering how to craft new rules to clarify the privacy obligations of broadband providers. Last week, the Institute for Information Security & Privacy at Georgia Tech rele...Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte July 13, 2021
Proposals for the Biden Administration to Address Technology’s Role in Discrimination
We sent a letter urging the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy to fully incorporate the Biden administration’s commitment to racial equity into its AI and technology priorities.
all across-the-field all letter Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte 2021-07-13 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn, ACLU, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and a coalition of other organizations sent a letter urging the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy to fully incorporate the Biden administration’s commitment to racial equity into its AI and technology priorities. Attached to the letter were three memos sent to federal agencies outlining concrete recommendations to address technology’s role in housing, hiring, and financial services discrimination. We sent this ...Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, and Tinuola Dada July 13, 2021
Amicus Brief in United States v. Morton
In this brief, we explain how the Government’s remarkable technical assertions — that mobile device forensic tools can only extract all data off of a cellphone and cannot perform a narrower search — are incorrect.
all policing all amicus-brief Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, and Tinuola Dada 2021-07-13 00:00:00 +0000 We filed an amicus brief in United States v. Morton, a case in front of the en banc Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the brief, we explain how the Government’s remarkable technical assertions — that mobile device forensic tools can only extract all data off of a cellphone and cannot perform a narrower search — are incorrect. We also explain how the Government’s legal position would effectively authorize indiscriminate, limitless searches of cellphones, in violation of the protection...Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, Urmila Janardan, and Logan Koepke October 15, 2021
Amicus Brief in Henderson v. Source for Public Data
This amicus brief urges the Fourth Circuit to preserve critical and longstanding obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act that require consumer reporting agencies to ensure the accuracy of records used to make decisions about people’s access to housing, employment, credit, and other basic needs.
all across-the-field all amicus-brief Aaron Rieke, Natasha Duarte, Urmila Janardan, and Logan Koepke 2021-10-15 00:00:00 +0000 This amicus brief urges the Fourth Circuit to preserve critical and longstanding obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that require consumer reporting agencies to ensure the accuracy of records used to make decisions about people’s access to housing, employment, credit, and other basic needs. We argue that Section 230 should not preempt these accuracy obligations, which do not treat consumer reporting agencies as the publishers or speakers of third-party content. This brief w...Logan Koepke, Tinuola Dada, and Emma Weil April 07, 2021
Amicus Brief in Pennsylvania v. Green
We filed a legal brief in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania describing the capabilities of mobile device forensics tools (MDFTs) and how they facilitatate invasive searches of cellphones.
all policing all amicus-brief Logan Koepke, Tinuola Dada, and Emma Weil 2021-04-07 00:00:00 +0000 We filed a legal brief in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania describing the capabilities of mobile device forensics tools (MDFTs) and how they facilitatate invasive searches of cellphones. Search warrants, like the one in this case, often fail to limit the scope of a search at all. However, we argue that narrower searches are possible, and that courts must create new legal safeguards to avoid allowing general digital searches. We also advocate for audit logs in MDFT software, which would allow...Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte July 13, 2021
Urging the Biden Administration to Address Technology’s Role in Hiring Discrimination
We sent a memo on technology's role in hiring discrimination to agency leaders within the Biden administration.
all labor-and-employment all letter Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte 2021-07-13 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn, ACLU, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and a coalition of other organizations urge the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy to fully incorporate the Biden administration’s commitment to racial equity into its AI and technology priorities. This is our memo on technology's role in hiring discrimination. We sent this memo to: Chair Charlotte A. Burrows, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)Secretary Marty J. Walsh, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)...Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte July 13, 2021
Urging the Biden Administration to Address Technology’s Role in Housing Discrimination
We sent a memo to agency leaders in the Biden administration on technology's role in housing discrimination.
all housing all letter Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte 2021-07-13 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn, ACLU, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and a coalition of other organizations urge the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy to fully incorporate the Biden administration’s commitment to racial equity into its AI and technology priorities. This is our memo on technology's role in housing discrimination. We sent this memo to: Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)Acting Director Dave Uejio, Consumer Financial Pr...Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte July 13, 2021
Urging the Biden Administration to Address Technology’s Role in Financial Services Discrimination
We sent a memo on technology's role in financial services discrimination to agency leaders within the Biden administration.
all credit-and-finance all letter Harlan Yu, Aaron Rieke, and Natasha Duarte 2021-07-13 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn, ACLU, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and a coalition of other organizations urge the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy to fully incorporate the Biden administration’s commitment to racial equity into its AI and technology priorities. This is our memo on technology's role in financial services discrimination. We sent this memo to: Acting Director Dave Uejio, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)Chair Jerome H. Powell, Board of Governors of th...Emma Weil and Aaron Rieke May 07, 2020
How an SSI eligibility system wrongfully terminated benefits
Upturn supported New York Legal Assistance Group in its settlement of a lawsuit against the Social Security Administration regarding its wrongful terminations of Supplement Security Income beneficiaries.
all public-benefits all article Emma Weil and Aaron Rieke 2020-05-07 00:00:00 +0000 For many years, the Social Security Administration has been incorrectly assessing asset limits for Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries. When the first day of the month fell on a weekend or holiday, the system would deposit benefits early, but would then count the early deposit as part of the beneficiary's assets and terminate their benefits for being above the threshold, or even take the money back. This happened to thousands of beneficiaries, most of whom had a difficult time even rea...Emily Paul and Harlan Yu January 15, 2022
Comments on OSTP's Biometrics Technologies RFI
We submitted comments in response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information on public and private sector uses of biometric technologies.
all across-the-field all comments Emily Paul and Harlan Yu 2022-01-15 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted comments in response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information on public and private sector uses of biometric technologies. The data-driven technologies (including biometric tech) used by powerful institutions to shape key decisions about people's lives often mirror and exacerbate historical racial and economic disparities in housing, employment, public benefits, the criminal legal system, and other areas of opportunity and wellbeing. Office of Sci...Aaron Rieke and Natasha Duarte December 06, 2021
Amicus Brief in Muslim Advocates v. Zuckerberg et. al.
Together with other amici, we argue that Facebook is governed by the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act, even though it does not charge its users a cash price.
all across-the-field all amicus-brief Aaron Rieke and Natasha Duarte 2021-12-06 00:00:00 +0000 Together with other amici, we argue that Facebook is is governed by the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), even though it does not charge its users a cash price.Tinuola Dada February 17, 2022
Testimony on MDFTs at the 2022 MPD Oversight Hearing
Tinuola testified on MPD use of mobile device forensic tools and consent searches at the 2021-2022 Metropolitan Police Department Performance Oversight Hearing.
all policing all written-testimony Tinuola Dada 2022-02-17 00:00:00 +0000 The following written testimony was presented by Upturn Policy Analyst Tinuola Dada at the DC Council Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety's Public Hearing on 2021-2022 Metropolitan Police Department Performance Oversight. Tinuola testified on MPD's use of mobile device forensic tools and called for DC Council to — at a minimum — ban consent searches of cellphones in DC. Dear Chairman Allen and Members of the Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety, Thank you for the opportunity to ...Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, and Tinuola Dada April 26, 2022
Amicus brief in Connecticut v. Smith
We filed an amicus brief in a case before the Connecticut State Supreme Court arguing that the Court should develop specific rules for the issuance and execution of cellphone search warrants.
all policing all amicus-brief Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, and Tinuola Dada 2022-04-26 00:00:00 +0000 We filed an amicus brief in Connecticut v. Smith, a case before the Connecticut State Supreme Court, arguing that the Court should develop specific rules for the issuance and execution of cellphone search warrants. Today, across the country, cellphone search warrants are so broadly and ambiguously worded as to be limitless. Mobile device forensic tools compound the problem: they facilitate an exhaustive and indiscriminate search of a cellphone by law enforcement. Given that this arrangement i...Emily Paul and Emma Weil April 18, 2022
Comments on Medicaid administration technology
We submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ request for information on Access to Care and Coverage for People Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. These comments focus on the ways that the technology used to administer Medicaid — in particular, Medicaid Long-Term Services & Supports — can increase barriers to accessing care.
all public-benefits all comments Emily Paul and Emma Weil 2022-04-18 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ request for information on Access to Care and Coverage for People Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. These comments focus on the ways that the technology used to administer Medicaid — in particular, Medicaid Long-Term Services & Supports — can increase barriers to accessing care. 1-1: What are the specific ways that CMS can support states in achieving timely eligibility determination and timely enro...Urmila Janardan June 02, 2022
Comments on Seattle Police Department's use of MDFTs
We submitted comments to Seattle City Council on their Surveillance Ordinance implementation process, explaining the technical capabilities of MDFTs and urging the Council to restrict the ways that Seattle PD can use them.
all policing all comments Urmila Janardan 2022-06-02 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted comments to Seattle City Council on their Surveillance Ordinance implementation process, explaining the technical capabilities of MDFTs and urging the Council to restrict the ways that Seattle PD can use them. Our comments as submitted are below. RE: Upturn’s Comments on “Computer, cellphone and mobile device extraction tools” in Group 4b Surveillance Technologies On behalf of Upturn, I write to offer our comments on one technology included in Group 4b of the Seattl...Tinuola Dada and Natasha Duarte July 07, 2022
How to Seal Eviction Records
We wrote an issue brief offering guidance and recommendations for advocates and policymakers who seek to draft or support eviction record sealing laws.
all housing all guide Tinuola Dada and Natasha Duarte 2022-07-07 00:00:00 +0000 Executive Summary Tenant screening is a major driver of housing insecurity. Tenant screening companies collect eviction, credit, and criminal records and repackage them into tenant screening reports that they sell to landlords. This business model has helped entrench eviction records, in particular, as a ubiquitous barrier to housing. Landlords — who often purchase tenant screening reports — regularly reject potential tenants who have any eviction history, regardless of the nature or disposit...Aaron Rieke, Mingwei Hsu, Vincent Southerland, and Dan Svirsky June 20, 2022
Imperfect Inferences: A Practical Assessment
Our empirical assessment of racial inference methodologies, using self-reported demographic information from Uber riders.
all across-the-field all article Aaron Rieke, Mingwei Hsu, Vincent Southerland, and Dan Svirsky 2022-06-20 00:00:00 +0000 Measuring racial disparities is challenging, especially when demographic labels are unavailable. Recently, some researchers and advocates have argued that companies should infer race and other demographic factors to help them understand and address discrimination. Others have been more skeptical, emphasizing the inaccuracy of racial inferences, critiquing the conceptualization of demographic categories themselves, and arguing that the use of demographic data might encourage algorithmic tweaks...Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada July 19, 2022
Tenant Screening Companies Profit from Eviction Records, Driving Housing Insecurity
Our op-ed in Shelterforce on how tenant screening and eviction records drive housing insecurity.
all housing all article Natasha Duarte and Tinuola Dada 2022-07-19 00:00:00 +0000 We wrote an op-ed in Shelterforce describing how tenant screening companies profit from eviction records and drive housing insecurity. Drawing from our recent paper, "How to Seal Eviction Records," we describe the tenant screening industry and how sealing eviction records at the point of filing is an important step toward dismantling the industry's harmful practices: Eviction is a consequence of an unaffordable housing system that prioritizes the interests of investors and owners and is built...Kendra Albert, Maggie Delano, and Emma Weil June 28, 2022
Fear, Uncertainty, and Period Trackers
Emma Weil co-authored this piece about digital evidence and abortion prosecutions.
all policing all article Kendra Albert, Maggie Delano, and Emma Weil 2022-06-28 00:00:00 +0000 With Kendra Albert and Maggie Delano, Upturn Policy Analyst Emma Weil co-authored this piece about digital evidence and abortion prosecutions. TL:DR; Period trackers are not the primary form of digital evidence likely to be used in abortion prosecutions today. If tracking your period is useful to you, you don’t need to stop tracking your period, although you may choose to switch to an app that collects less data and stores it locally[.] Read their article here.Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, and Urmila Janardan August 03, 2022
Virtual Teach-In on Seattle Police's Use of MDFTs
We participated in a virtual teach-in with the ACLU of Washington to explain how law enforcement uses digital forensic tools to search cellphones.
all policing all article Logan Koepke, Emma Weil, and Urmila Janardan 2022-08-03 00:00:00 +0000 Following our comments to Seattle City Council on Seattle PD's use of mobile device forensic tools (MDFTs), we participated in a virtual teach-in with the ACLU of Washington to explain the technical capabilities of MDFTs and why we think the Council should restrict the ways that Seattle PD can use them. Read our comments to Seattle City Council here.Upturn, Legal Aid of Arkansas, and the National Health Law Program September 07, 2022
Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub
We’re partnering with Legal Aid of Arkansas and the National Health Law Program to provide tools for advocates to fight harmful benefits technology and to build a community of advocates and technologists working to challenge tech that keeps people from accessing benefits.
all public-benefits all Upturn, Legal Aid of Arkansas, and the National Health Law Program 2022-09-07 00:00:00 +0000 We are pleased to introduce the Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub, a new website created by Upturn, Legal Aid of Arkansas, and the National Health Law Program. We launched the Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub to give advocates tools to fight harmful benefits tech and force greater transparency so that harm can be identified, prevented, or reduced earlier in the technology’s lifecycle. We are advocates and technologists experienced in fighting the unjust use of technology in public benefits. We’ve collabo...Emily Paul, Natasha Duarte, and Urmila Janardan October 06, 2022
Testimony on DC's Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act of 2021
We submitted testimony to DC Council on the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act of 2021.
all across-the-field all written-testimony Emily Paul, Natasha Duarte, and Urmila Janardan 2022-10-06 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted the following testimony to DC Council's Committee on Government Operations and Facilities regarding B24-0558, the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act of 2021. Chair White and members of the Committee on Government Operations and Facilities, Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act (SDAA). This bill represents a positive step toward acknowledging and addressing technology’s role in determining DC residents’ access to basic economic ...Logan Koepke, Harlan Yu, Mariah de Leon, and Natasha Duarte November 21, 2022
Comments on the FTC's proposed rulemaking on commercial surveillance and data security
We provided comments in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security.
all across-the-field all comments Logan Koepke, Harlan Yu, Mariah de Leon, and Natasha Duarte 2022-11-21 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commissions's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security published on August 22, 2022. In the following comments, we urged the FTC to use rulemaking to address commercial practices that cause discrimination. It can do so by prescribing a rule that applies its unfairness authority directly to discriminatory practices, which often easily satisfy the three-factor unfairness test. The FTC is well justified in pursu...Natasha Duarte, Urmila Janardan, and Harlan Yu January 18, 2023
Amicus brief in Commonwealth v. J.F.
We filed an amicus brief in *Commonwealth v. J.F.* urging the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to enforce the state's automatic sealing provision.
all criminal-courts all amicus-brief Natasha Duarte, Urmila Janardan, and Harlan Yu 2023-01-18 00:00:00 +0000 Fifty years ago, Massachusetts passed a law requiring the courts to automatically seal the records of criminal cases ending in a finding of not guilty. We filed an amicus brief in Commonwealth v. J.F. urging the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to enforce this automatic sealing provision, rather than requiring a petition and judicial finding of "good cause" to seal each individual case. Our amicus brief focuses on the importance of automatic sealing to prevent data brokers from collecting...Mitra Ebadolahi and Peter Romer-Friedman December 01, 2022
Upturn and Gupta Wessler file EEOC charge against Meta
Upturn and Gupta Wessler represent Real Women in Trucking, requesting that the EEOC investigate Meta for systemic gender and age discrimination in advertising jobs on Facebook.
all across-the-field all litigation Mitra Ebadolahi and Peter Romer-Friedman 2022-12-01 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn and Gupta Wessler represent Real Women in Trucking in their charge with the EEOC to investigate Meta for systemic gender and age discrimination in advertising trucking jobs on Facebook. In this charge, we demonstrate, with actual ads that employers have published on Facebook, that when Facebook decides which people will receive job ads within the audience selected by the employer, Facebook disproportionately steers those job ads away from users based on their gender and age. See our c...Mitra Ebadolahi, Natasha Duarte, and Urmila Janardan February 09, 2023
Comments on EEOC's Draft Strategic Enforcement Plan
We submitted comments to the EEOC's Draft Strategic Enforcement Plan for 2023-2027, pushing for more proactive support of civil rights in recruiting and hiring.
all labor-and-employment all comments Mitra Ebadolahi, Natasha Duarte, and Urmila Janardan 2023-02-09 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted the following comments in response to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Draft Strategic Enforcement plan for 2023-2027, published on January 10, 2023. Our comments primarily address the Subject Matter Priorities set forth under Principle 1 of the Draft Plan. We identify the ways in which our past research supports the Commission’s intended priorities and explain where the Commission can clarify or refine the Draft Plan to further support civil rights in the workplace....Logan Koepke and Harlan Yu March 06, 2023
National Telecommunications and Information Administration Comments on Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights
We submitted comments in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Privacy, Equity and Civil Rights Request for Comment.
all across-the-field all comments Logan Koepke and Harlan Yu 2023-03-06 00:00:00 +0000 Upturn submitted the following comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in response to the administration's Privacy, Equity and Civil Rights Request for Comment. In our comments, we push the federal government to provide clear guidance to companies about collecting or inferring sensitive demographic data for anti-discrimination purposes, and about searching for less discriminatory alternative models. Re: Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for C...Upturn, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights June 07, 2023
Letter to the FTC on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking
Alongside 40 other civil rights and technology advocacy organizations, Upturn called on the Federal Trade Commission to develop specific, concrete civil rights protections in the Commission’s ongoing Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking.
all across-the-field all letter Upturn, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 2023-06-07 00:00:00 +0000 Alongside 40 other civil rights and technology advocacy organizations, Upturn called on the Federal Trade Commission to develop specific, concrete civil rights protections in the Commission’s ongoing Commercial Surveillance and Data Security Rulemaking. Specifically, the letter urges the FTC to promulgate a specific rule prohibiting discrimination as an unfair practice under the FTC Act, as well as a specific rule requiring reasonable and appropriate measures to detect and address algorithmic...Natasha Duarte and Mariah de Leon May 05, 2023
Response to the FTC's request for information on tenant screening technologies
We responded to the Federal Trade Commission's request for information on tenant screening technologies, demonstrating how they drive housing insecurity and discrimination.
all housing all comments Natasha Duarte and Mariah de Leon 2023-05-05 00:00:00 +0000 We responded to the Federal Trade Commission's request (FTC-2023-0024) for information on tenant screening technologies, demonstrating how they drive housing insecurity and discrimination. We submitted the following statement via regulations.gov on May 30, 2023. Executive Summary Tenant screening reports drive housing insecurity and discrimination by entrenching criminal, credit, and eviction histories as universal barriers to housing. Tenant screening companies’ core function is to repacka...Mitra Ebadolahi, Natasha Duarte, and Tairan Zhang July 14, 2023
Comments to the CFPB on data brokers
We provided comments to the CFPB urging them to protect consumers from the harms of data brokers.
all across-the-field all comments Mitra Ebadolahi, Natasha Duarte, and Tairan Zhang 2023-07-14 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted the following comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in response to their Request for Information Regarding Data Brokers and Other Business Practices Involving the Collection and Sale of Consumer Information (published on March 21, 2023). We submitted these comments via regulations.gov on July 14, 2023. RE: CFPB Request for Information Regarding Data Brokers (Docket No. CFPB-2023-0020) We write to provide comments in response to the Consumer Financial Protection ...Mariah de Leon and Natasha Duarte July 31, 2023
Comments to the FHFA on tenant protections for Enterprise-backed multifamily properties
We submitted comments to the Federal Housing Finance Agency emphasizing the importance of protecting renters from unnecessarily restrictive tenant screening practices.
all housing all comments Mariah de Leon and Natasha Duarte 2023-07-31 00:00:00 +0000 We submitted the following comments to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in response to their Request for Input on tenant protections for Enterprise-backed multifamily properties. These comments were submitted via regulations.gov on July 31, 2023. Introduction Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on tenant protections for Enterprise-backed multifamily properties. We commend the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) for exploring ways to promote tenant protections through i...Algorithmic Justice League, Data & Society Research Institute, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Fight for the Future, and Upturn August 07, 2023
Letter to the Biden-Harris Administration on their forthcoming AI Executive Order
As the Biden-Harris administration considers the contents of an Executive Order on artificial intelligence, the undersigned civil rights, technology, policy, and research organizations call on the administration to continue centering civil rights protections.
all across-the-field all letter Algorithmic Justice League, Data & Society Research Institute, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Fight for the Future, and Upturn 2023-08-07 00:00:00 +0000 August 7, 2023 The Honorable Joseph R. BidenPresident of the United StatesThe White House The Honorable Kamala D. HarrisVice President of the United StatesThe White House RE: Advancing Anti-Discrimination Testing in an Artificial Intelligence Executive Order In announcing voluntary commitments from several artificial intelligence companies, the Biden-Harris administration noted it is currently working on developing an Executive Order “to help America lead the way in responsible innovation” in...Vee Copeland, Stevie Glaberson, and Emerald Tse November 13, 2023
Comments to HHS on proposed rule on disability discrimination
With the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, we submitted comments to the Department of Health & Human Services on its proposed rule regarding disability discrimination and the child welfare system.
all policing all comments Vee Copeland, Stevie Glaberson, and Emerald Tse 2023-11-13 00:00:00 +0000 The Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law and Upturn submit the following comments regarding the Department of Health & Human Services’ proposed rule on Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities, largely in response to “Child Welfare Question 2.” For the reasons that follow, we believe the proposed list of prohibited activities is incomplete because it fails to address the front end of the system. We are particularly concerned with...Logan Koepke and Harlan Yu December 05, 2023
Comments on OMB's AI Memorandum
We wrote comments in response to the Office of Management and Budget’s draft memorandum, Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
all across-the-field all comments Logan Koepke and Harlan Yu 2023-12-05 00:00:00 +0000 December 5, 2023 Office of Management and Budget725 17th Street NWWashington DC, 20503 Submitted via regulations.gov Re: OMB-2023-0020 — Request for Comments on Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence Draft Memorandum. We write to provide comments in response to the Office of Management and Budget’s draft memorandum, Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Upturn is a non-prof...Emily Black, Logan Koepke, Pauline Kim, Solon Barocas, and Mingwei Hsu October 31, 2023
Less Discriminatory Algorithms
Our paper on how entities that use algorithmic systems in traditional civil rights domains like housing, employment, and credit should have a duty to search for and implement less discriminatory algorithms (LDAs).
all across-the-field all report Emily Black, Logan Koepke, Pauline Kim, Solon Barocas, and Mingwei Hsu 2023-10-31 00:00:00 +0000 Abstract Entities that use algorithmic systems in traditional civil rights domains like housing, employment, and credit should have a duty to search for and implement less discriminatory algorithms (LDAs). Why? Work in computer science has established that, contrary to conventional wisdom, for a given prediction problem there are almost always multiple possible models with equivalent performance—a phenomenon termed model multiplicity. Critically for our purposes, different models of equivalen...ACLU, Center for Democracy & Technology, Governing for Impact, National Women’s Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, & Upturn January 25, 2024
EEOC priorities on automated systems and technological discrimination
We write to follow up on the July 13, 2021 letter that several of our organizations sent Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, then-Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh, and then-OFCCP Director Jenny Yang titled *Addressing Technology’s Role in Hiring Discrimination (the “2021 letter”)*, and the “Automated systems, including artificial intelligence (AI)” section of the October 26, 2023, letter that the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Employment Task Force sent to the EEOC outlining broader employment-related civil rights priorities.
all labor-and-employment jobs-and-hiring all letter ACLU, Center for Democracy & Technology, Governing for Impact, National Women’s Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, & Upturn 2024-01-25 00:00:00 +0000 Dear Chair Burrows, We, the undersigned groups, write to follow up on the July 13, 2021, letter that several of our organizations sent to you, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, then-Secretary of Labor Martin Walsh, and then-OFCCP Director Jenny Yang titled Addressing Technology’s Role in Hiring Discrimination (the “2021 letter”), and the “Automated systems, including artificial intelligence (AI)” section of the October 26, 2023, letter that the Leadership Conference on Civil and Huma...Upturn, Center for Democracy & Technology, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, & seven groups February 01, 2024
Letter to DOJ re: AI Executive Order
We write with specific recommendations on implementing the recently-signed Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (EO 14110). The EO directs the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (DOJ CRT) to convene, within 90 days of the date of the Executive Order, a meeting of the heads of Federal civil rights offices to “discuss comprehensive use of their respective authorities” to “prevent and address discrimination in the use of automated systems, including algorithmic discrimination.” It also directs the DOJ CRT to “increase coordination between the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Federal civil rights offices concerning issues related to AI and algorithmic discrimination,” and to “develop, as appropriate, additional training, technical assistance, guidance, or other resources.”
all across-the-field all letter Upturn, Center for Democracy & Technology, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, & seven groups 2024-02-01 00:00:00 +0000 RE: Comprehensive Use of Civil Rights Authorities to Prevent and CombatAlgorithmic Discrimination Dear Attorney General Garland and Assistant Attorney General Clarke, We, the undersigned groups, write to you with specific recommendations onimplementing the recently-signed Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and TrustworthyDevelopment and Use of Artificial Intelligence (EO 14110). The EO directs the Departmentof Justice’s Civil Rights Division (DOJ CRT) to convene, within 90 days of the date of t...National Health Law Program (NHeLP), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and Upturn January 31, 2024
Federal Trade Commission Deloitte Complaint
Upturn joined the National Health Law Program and EPIC in an FTC complaint to address issues with Deloitte’s automated eligibility determination system in Texas that have caused people to lose Medicaid coverage.
all public-benefits all litigation National Health Law Program (NHeLP), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and Upturn 2024-01-31 00:00:00 +0000 FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Washington, DC 20580 In the Matter of Deloitte Consulting LLP, a limited liability partnership, also d/b/a Deloitte Complaint and Request for Investigation, Injunction, and Other Relief Submitted by National Health Law Program (NHeLP), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and Upturn, Inc. SUMMARY This complaint is brought to address serious financial and health harms to hundreds of thousan...Emily Paul and Emma Weil April 15, 2024
Comments on the Social Security Administration's proposed rule on use of electronic payroll data
With Legal Aid of Arkansas, we submitted comments to the Social Security Administration on their proposed rule to use payroll data to allow people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to opt in to automated reporting to meet wage reporting requirements for these programs.
all public-benefits all comments Emily Paul and Emma Weil 2024-04-15 00:00:00 +0000 Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs Regulations and Reports Clearance Staff Social Security Administration Mail Stop 3253 Altmeyer 6401 Security Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21235–6401 Submitted via regulations.gov Re: Docket No. SSA-2016-0039 Comments from Legal Aid of Arkansas and Upturn To Whom It May Concern: Upturn and Legal Aid of Arkansas write in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued on February 15, 2024, addressing the use of payroll data providers in...Mariah de Leon and Natasha Duarte August 02, 2024
Tenants Pay the Price
We wrote an issue brief analyzing the pitfalls of portable tenant screening reports and encouraging policymakers to address rental application fees by banning them altogether.
all housing all report Mariah de Leon and Natasha Duarte 2024-08-02 00:00:00 +0000 I. Executive Summary Rental application fees and tenant screening are significant barriers to housing that compound unaffordable rents, deepen housing discrimination, and make the housing search impossibly difficult for many people, especially low-income renters and renters of color. Some state and federal policymakers, including the White House and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), have promoted portable tenant screening report (PTSR) legislation as a potential soluti...