Justice Tech Download: Does the 5th Amend. protect biometic passwords? Plus, Jobs & events.
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Last week, a U.S. judge ruled that the FBI can't get a warrant to force a suspect to unlock their phone with biometric features. (Forbes) This adds a new contour into whether or not the Fifth Amendment's right against self-incrimination includes a protection against compelling biometric features used as passwords, as I wrote about last fall. (ABA Journal)
A new paper argues that giving algorithms, like those used in bail decisions, uncertainty will make them more ethical. (Tech Review) Separate research about predictive algorithms used in criminal courts indicates that the tools' impacts are still unknown and the real technological evolution for courts is going paperless. (Logic)
Journalist George Joseph has been suing the Chicago Police Department to get more information about its Select Subject List, a person-based predictive policing algorithm. His compatriots are finally getting some data. (Twitter) For context, a study was done on the predictive program years ago and found it had little positive impact. (Rand)
In the ongoing, internal battle over Amazon's facial recognition software, which has been made available to some U.S. police departments, shareholders are now pressing to end its sale. (Open Mic)
After lots of public concern from prosecutors, a new report submitted to the Oregon legislature shows that a three-county pilot that recorded grand juries improved transparency without sacrificing victim privacy. (WWeek)
Events
On Feb. 8 from 8:30am to 4:00pm, the Center for Access to Justice at Georgia State University will host its second annual State of the South conference, which brings together scholars and practitioners discussing how technology is affecting criminal and civil legal issues. I'll be there on a stellar panel of experts and lawyers. You'll need to register. Be quick though, the deadline is approaching. (GSU)
On Feb. 5 & 6, the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law is hosting its Innovating Justice forum in the Netherlands. The event will be an international affair with experts from around the world speaking on technology and process improvements to civil and criminal law. (HiiL)
Jobs
The Aspen Institute has a new fellowship for tech policy experts. (Aspen)
The Lab at D.C. has three postings at the moment, including a data scientist, social scientist and operations analyst. This office does cool work, including the first randomized control trial of a police body cam rollout. (The Lab)
PEW is looking for someone to help with their court modernization work. (PEW)
Upturn has a couple full-time research and policy analyst positions, as well has a few fellowships to choose from. (Upturn)