Centre for Society, Technology and Values

The Netherlands reverts to counting paper ballots by hand

Cameron Shelley — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:00:00 +0000

A piece by Sewell Chan in the New York Times notes that Dutch authorities have pulled the plug on computerized ballots and ballot counting for their next national election.

The move was prompted by concerns over the integrity of the election in the face of hacking concerns. In particular, allegations of tampering in the recent US election have caused the Dutch government to re-examine their setup, which was found wanting:

Tags: elections, risk, stv 202, stv 302

Facebook, misinformation and censorship

Cameron Shelley — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Three recent New York Times articles illustrate some issues facing information providers like Facebook when it comes to dealing with potentially harmful content being shared through its service.

Tags: Facebook, censorship, risk, stv 302

The alcohol patch

Cameron Shelley — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 12:00:00 +0000

When you hear the term alcohol patch, what do you think of? An imaginary place more adult than the Cabbage Patch? Wrong! A patch that slowly releases alcohol into your bloodstream? Getting warmer!

As Mike Hanlon describes it in New Atlas, the ONUSblue alcohol patch is a sensor that rests on a person's skin and monitors their blood alcohol level:

Tags: fairness, risk, stv 202, branding

Predictive policing and ghetto avoiding

Cameron Shelley — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 12:00:00 +0000

Logan Koepke has written an interesting article at Slate about the nature of predictive policing. Predictive policing involves the use of computer algorithms to assign police coverage to a given region on the basis of anticipated risk of crime.

Tags: prediction, police, risk, cities, stv 202, stv 201

Cars, bikes, and safety technology

Cameron Shelley — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The Internet sometimes provides interesting pairs of news items. Today's pair concerns an intersection between mobility, safety, and technology.

Tags: cars, bicycles, safety, risk, stv 202

Machine readable bikes

Cameron Shelley — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 12:00:00 +0000

I was interested to see in Ben Coxworth's brief piece in New Atlas an item about a gadget designed to make bicycles more visible to radar-equipped cars.

The "Shield TL" is a kind of souped-up rear light that can be attached to a bicycle. Besides the usual blinking red light, the Shield TL has a baffle shaped to create a large reflection when struck by radar of the type used by driving assist technology in high-end vehicles.

Tags: bicycles, safety, risk

Auto safety and automated driving

Cameron Shelley — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The Globe and Mail reports on a recent survey of Canadians concerning their views on self-driving cars, apparently meaning cars with advanced driving assistance technologies such as the Autopilot mode in a Tesla.

Tags: cars, risk, safety, stv 201, stv 202

Will Volvo's sensitive bus be safer?

Cameron Shelley — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 12:00:00 +0000

A short item in New Atlas describes a new bus prototype from Swedish automotive giant Volvo. The new bus is equipped with a system called the Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection System (PCDS).

The PCDS combines cameras attached to the bus with a program that anticipates danger to cyclists, pedestrians, and other mobile "obstacles" to bus travel. When a collision appears possible, the bus makes a noise to warn the pedestrian, etc. The horn is used if the risk is deemed to be very high.

Tags: risk, risk compensation, equity transit, safety, stv 202

E-bike style and safety

Cameron Shelley — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 12:00:00 +0000

An electronic bike (or "e-bike") is more-or-less what it sounds like: a bike with an electric motor integrated into it. E-bikes have become quite popular in Europe and in China, especially as a substitute for cars for short distance commuting.

Tags: e-bikes, risk, style, stv 202

The machine readable roadway

Cameron Shelley — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The death of Johsua Brown in a collision between his Tesla and a big rig has led to some reflections on automation and trust. However, it also raises issues about in what ways our world is, or should be, readable by machines.

Tags: self-driving cars, safety, risk