{"id":608980,"date":"2023-02-17T07:49:14","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T13:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/17\/mock-crime-prediction-tool-profiles-meps-as-potential-criminals\/"},"modified":"2023-02-17T07:49:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T13:49:14","slug":"mock-crime-prediction-tool-profiles-meps-as-potential-criminals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/17\/mock-crime-prediction-tool-profiles-meps-as-potential-criminals\/","title":{"rendered":"Mock crime prediction tool profiles MEPs as potential criminals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content-header\">\n<h2>Developed by Fair Trials, the example crime prediction tool uses the same information as police systems to assess the likelihood of someone committing a crime in the future<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-center\">\n<ul>\n<li><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i data-icon=\"2\"><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"contributors-block\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Sebastian-Klovig-Skelton-CW-contributor.jpg\" alt=\"Sebastian Klovig Skelton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Sebastian-Klovig-Skelton\">Sebastian Klovig Skelton,<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Senior reporter<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tPublished: <span>16 Feb 2023 14:45<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"content-body\">\n<p>Several MEPs have been profiled as \u201cat risk\u201d of criminal behaviour after using mock crime prediction tool created by non-governmental organisation Fair Trials to highlight discriminatory and unfair nature of predictive policing systems.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fairtrials.org\/predictive-policing\/\">online tool<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which asks users questions designed to draw out the kinds of information police across Europe are using to \u201cpredict\u201d whether someone will commit a crime \u2013 was launched on 31 January 2023, and has been used by MEPs and members of the public from across the European Union (EU).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/450418538\/Durham-Police-to-use-artificial-intelligence-to-help-decide-if-suspects-should-be-held-in-custody\">Predictive policing systems<\/a> can be used to profile and make \u201cpredictions\u201d about criminality in both individuals and locations, which Fair Trials said is determined by a range of data about education, family life and background, engagement with public services such as welfare benefits and housing, ethnicity, nationality, credit scores, and whether someone has previously been in contact with police, even as a victim. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>People profiled as \u201cat risk\u201d on the basis of this information face a range of serious consequences, from being subject to regular stop and search to having their children removed by social services. The profiles and predictions are also used to inform pre-trial detention, prosecution, sentencing and probation decisions.<\/p>\n<p>As a result of the tool\u2019s use, Fair Trials said more than 1,000 emails were subsequently sent to MEPs by members of the public calling on them to ban predictive policing systems in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/feature\/Europes-proposed-AI-regulation-falls-short-on-protecting-rights\">EU\u2019s upcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur interactive predictive tool shows just how unjust and discriminatory these systems are. It might seem unbelievable that law enforcement and criminal justice authorities are making predictions about criminality based on people\u2019s backgrounds, class, ethnicity and associations, but that is the reality of what is happening in the EU,\u201d said Griff Ferris, senior legal and policy officer at Fair Trials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s widespread evidence that these predictive policing and criminal justice systems lead to injustice, reinforce discrimination and undermine our rights. The only way to protect people and their rights across Europe is to prohibit these criminal prediction and profiling systems, against people and places.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Socialists and Democrats (S&#038;D) MEP Petar Vitanov, who was profiled by the mock tool as having a \u201cmedium risk\u201d of committing a crime in the future, said there is no place for such unreliable, biased and unfair systems in the EU.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have never thought that we will live in a sci-fi dystopia where machines will \u2018predict\u2019 if we are about to commit a crime or not,\u201d he said. \u201cI grew up in a low-income neighbourhood, in a poor Eastern European country, and the algorithm profiled me as a potential criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Renew MEP and member of the legal affairs committee, Karen Melchior, who was profiled as \u201cat risk\u201d, added that the automated judging of people\u2019s behaviour will lead to discrimination and irrevocably alter people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe cannot allowed funds to be misplaced from proper police work and well-funded as well as independent courts to biased and random technology,\u201d she said. \u201cThe promised efficiency will be lost in the clean up after wrong decisions \u2013 when we catch them. Worst of all, we risk destroying lives of innocent people. The use of predictive policing mechanisms must be banned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other MEPs profiled as a risk by the tool, and who subsequently expressed their support for banning predictive policing systems, include <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_ErnstCornelia_status_1620762376646852608&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=GYsfXgyt4ScHBRZ5QfqNxyLxY5NYAGtISMyfmGhEVzY&#038;e=\">Cornelia Ernst<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_woelken_status_1620471983128596481&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=fjZSIHaayDJuoOJZO7AcXCy7YsGzO-bWZ4LfaEu198M&#038;e=\">Tiemo W\u00f6lken<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_PetarVitanovMEP_status_1620470557388181504&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=GVeB96mS9q3bFxkSRisdIidbZxLYLVsNWsMOBM6xNpA&#038;e=\">Petar Vitanov<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_BirgitSippelMEP_status_1620354946406436865&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=ivLiItlwCjwmUqwDBBEmvuQs9HMe0s-OZa7dL5P2Li8&#038;e=\">Birgit Sippel<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_kimvsparrentak_status_1620449423443599363&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=BCMSztGuvyGJzPIhuPl0DPaSP49atwclsaAcYk4Dfe8&#038;e=\">Kim van Sparrentak<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_Tineke-5FStrik_status_1620446905711869952&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=3-IOqW_D29OzXGo00qa9kIrJ16bm3gaGui558h0ittk&#038;e=\">Tineke Strik<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_MonicaSemedoLux_status_1623274825610416129&#038;d=DwMF-g&#038;c=tEbGsWWjqkBSpaWdXc_mdMSanI1bDu-FKXiKGCfVmPM&#038;r=atMzlI6A1YTnVEtSxwA1GvE7llqnhd3KufexxtLFVMU&#038;m=eWI-8EM0qa4g-_CxQ8fvDvhkuglwRH68mEj4TpIdY8K6YIrKNgbehUtiv4ZlZ8ME&#038;s=mML7dlwAM6eiIhOW0YoLA_N2hrGWzu6TGhoGwXdbtxA&#038;e=\">Monica Semedo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Civil society groups such as Fair Trials, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and others have long argued that because the underlying information used in predictive policing systems is drawn from data sets that reflect the historical structural biases and inequalities in society, the use of such systems will result in racialised people and communities being disproportionately targeted for surveillance, questioning, detaining and, ultimately, imprisonment by police.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252480030\/Equality-watchdog-calls-on-police-to-stop-using-facial-recognition\">evidence submitted to the United Nations (UN) by the UK\u2019s Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)<\/a> said the use of predictive policing could replicate and magnify \u201cpatterns of discrimination in policing, while lending legitimacy to biased processes\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers have come to similar conclusions. In the UK, for example, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252515236\/Overhaul-of-UK-police-tech-needed-to-prevent-abuse\">House of Lords inquiry into the police use of algorithmic technologies<\/a> noted that predictive policing tools tend to produce a \u201cvicious circle\u201d and \u201centrench pre-existing patterns of discrimination\u201d because they direct police patrols to low-income, already over-policed areas based on historic arrest data.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDue to increased police presence, it is likely that a higher proportion of the crimes committed in those areas will be detected than in those areas which are not over-policed. The data will reflect this increased detection rate as an increased crime rate, which will be fed into the tool and embed itself into the next set of predictions,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>Although the two MEPs in charge of overseeing and amending the EU\u2019s AI Act said in April 2022 that the use of AI-powered predictive policing tools to make \u201cindividualised risk assessments\u201d should be prohibited on the basis that it \u201cviolates human dignity and the presumption of innocence\u201d,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252516238\/EU-lawmakers-propose-limited-ban-on-predictive-policing-systems\">the proposed prohibition only extended to individualised assessments<\/a> and not place-based predictive systems used to profile areas or locations.<\/p>\n<p>Sarah Chander, a senior policy adviser at EDRi, told Computer Weekly at the time that profiling neighbourhoods for the risk of crime has a similar effect to profiling individuals, in that it \u201ccan increase experiences of discriminatory policing for racialised and poor communities\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Civil society groups have therefore called \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252506851\/NGO-Fair-Trials-calls-on-EU-to-ban-predictive-policing-systems\">on multiple occasions<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252514030\/Ban-predictive-policing-systems-in-EU-AI-Act-says-civil-society\">predictive policing systems to be completely banned<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/press\/press-releases\/2022\/12\/06\/artificial-intelligence-act-council-calls-for-promoting-safe-ai-that-respects-fundamental-rights\/\">amendments<\/a> are constantly being made to the AI Act, the limited ban on predictive policing systems has not yet been extended to place-based systems. MEPs next vote on the act is due to take place sometime at the end of March 2023, with the exact date yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"DigDeeperSplash\">\n<h4>\n\t\t\t<i data-icon=\"m\"><\/i>Read more on Artificial intelligence, automation and robotics<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252528137\/Top-10-crime-national-security-and-law-stories-of-2022\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/NCA-National-Crime-Agency-UK-building-1-adobe-hero_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/NCA-National-Crime-Agency-UK-building-1-adobe-hero_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/NCA-National-Crime-Agency-UK-building-1-adobe-hero.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Top 10 crime, national security and law stories of 2022<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252522302\/Government-rejects-Lords-police-tech-inquiry-recommendations\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/Police-blue-lights-fotolia_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Police-blue-lights-fotolia_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Police-blue-lights-fotolia.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Government rejects Lords police tech inquiry recommendations<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Sebastian-Klovig-Skelton-CW-contributor.jpg\" alt=\"SebastianKlovig Skelton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Sebastian\u00a0Klovig Skelton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252518218\/Europol-gears-up-to-collect-big-data-on-European-citizens-after-MEPs-vote-to-expand-policing-power\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/Europol-building-2-PR-hero_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Europol-building-2-PR-hero_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/Europol-building-2-PR-hero.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>Europol gears up to collect big data on European citizens after MEPs vote to expand policing power<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Bill-Goodwin-CW-contributor-2022-140x180px.jpg\" alt=\"BillGoodwin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Bill\u00a0Goodwin<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252516238\/EU-lawmakers-propose-limited-ban-on-predictive-policing-systems\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/EU-flag-1-fotolia_hero_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/EU-flag-1-fotolia_hero_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/EU-flag-1-fotolia_hero.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>EU lawmakers propose limited ban on predictive policing systems<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Sebastian-Klovig-Skelton-CW-contributor.jpg\" alt=\"SebastianKlovig Skelton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Sebastian\u00a0Klovig Skelton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/365531455\/Mock-crime-prediction-tool-profiles-MEPs-as-criminals\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Rubi Serna<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Developed by Fair Trials, the example crime prediction tool uses the same information as police systems to assess the likelihood of someone committing a crime in the future By Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Senior reporter Published: 16 Feb 2023 14:45 Several MEPs have been profiled as \u201cat risk\u201d of criminal behaviour after using mock crime prediction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":608981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2353,28724,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-608980","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime","8":"category-prediction","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}