Transparency in the Digital Environment

The Centre for Ethics at the University of Torontois an interdisciplinary centre aimed at advancing research and teaching in the field of ethics, broadly defined. The Centre seeks to bring together the theoretical and practical knowledge of diverse scholars, students, public servants and social leaders in order to increase understanding of the ethical dimensions of individual, social, and political life.

Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto

Ethics of AI Lab & Critical Analysis of Law present "Transparency in the Digital Environment"

Unfortunately, registration for this event has closed. 
To stay informed about upcoming Centre for Ethics events, please consider signing up for the C4E Newsletter  on our website (ethics.utoronto.ca).

<h1>Transparency in the Digital Environment</h1>Transparency has become an astonishingly popular ideal over the last couple of decades. Its traditional habitats, public law and political theory, have lost their monopoly to define it. It has globalized and spilled over to new disciplinary discourses – quite prominently, in algorithms and automation – thus becoming a well-nigh self-justificatory virtue, “the cultural signifier of neutrality.” Transparency promises that we can witness, immediately, what happens in the chambers of power, and by virtue of this witnessing, fix what needs to be fixed.Can we, really? In the wake of post-truth politics, fake news and alternative facts, this promise needs to be reassessed. Governance uses increasingly computerized forms, automated decision-making and even machine learning, often taking place in opaque “black boxes.” At the same time, due to our online behavior, big data and even deliberate manipulation, we are pulled towards solipsistic realities: echo chambers and filter bubbles. These trends may distance us from interactive democratic deliberation, which presupposes some shared understanding of reality.Can transparency deliver its promise in a digitalized environment? Does power hide not only from transparency but in transparency? Is it just a figurative placeholder for information release practices, or has it become a meta-discourse to assess the successfulness of those practices? To what extent is it legal, social, cultural, technical, material? These questions are important.Algorithmic governance may not have a human understandable form to represent. What would be made visible, then?There is a growing literature on critical transparency studies which argues convincingly that transparency is not an avenue to objective truth. Additionally, critical algorithm studies suggest, in turn, that algorithmization of our society cannot take place in a social vacuum. So far, law has not contributed much to those debates. To a large extent, it seems to subscribe quite uncritically to the realist theory of knowledge and concentrate on doctrinal analysis of freedom of information acts, or data protection law.★ This online conference will feature contributors to a special issue, guest edited by Ida Koivisto (Law, Helsinki), in the open-access online journal <a href="https://cal.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cal/index" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Critical Analysis of Law: An International &amp; Interdisciplinary Law Review</a>. ► Access the special issue <a href="https://cal.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cal/issue/view/2434" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>.This is an online event. It will be live streamed on the Centre for Ethics <a href="http://youtube.com/c/CentreforEthics" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">YouTube Channel</a> on May 7, 2021. Channel subscribers will receive a notification at the start of the live stream.► To stay informed about other upcoming events at the Centre for Ethics, opportunities, and more, please sign up for our <a href="https://utoronto.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=0e5342661df8b176fc3b5a643&amp;id=142528a343" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">newsletter</a>.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Registrations are closed

Transparency in the Digital Environment

More events from Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto

Discover more events from Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto, from Science & Tech to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.

Registrations are closed

Transparency in the Digital Environment

More events from Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto

Discover more events from Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto, from Science & Tech to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.