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The Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts employs legal and legislative advocacy to promote synergy between new technology and civil rights. Broadly, this mission includes (1) advocating against “bad” tech in government, (2) advising on technology policy, and (3) using tech and data responsibly for social & political advocacy. As the Staff Technologist at ACLU-MA, I will outline some of our recent and ongoing efforts to advocate for responsible technology in the era of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter, including our statewide campaign to #PressPause on government use of biometric surveillance technologies; our coalition-building efforts to inform algorithmic decision-making in government contexts; and the Data for Justice initiative, which uses interactive data visualizations and quantitative analysis to inform citizens about the effects of legislation and political leadership.
Bio
Lauren Chambers, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society affiliate, is the Staff Technologist at the ACLU of Massachusetts, where she analyzes and explores government data in order to inform citizens and lawmakers about the effects of legislation and political leadership on our civil liberties. Using interactive data visualizations and detailed analysis, her work aims to uplift advocacy around issues such as responsible technology, racial justice, criminal law reform, and government accountability. Before joining ACLU-MA, Lauren spent two years in Baltimore supporting NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope mission as a software developer. She received her Bachelor's degree from Yale in 2017 with a double-major in astrophysics and African American studies.