ReEnTrust Research Update

EPSRC ReEnTrust is the follow-on project from UnBias, which works on rebuilding and enhancing trust in algorithms.  The project explores new technological solutions to enable platforms to regain user trust, in ways that are user-driven and responsible.

As part of this project, we have been running three hour workshops with young adults aged 16-25 years and older adults aged over 65 years of age, to explore what might affect their trust when online.  Workshops are currently in progress and the team are beginning to analyse data emerging from these activities.

Alongside the workshops, we have been disseminating work relating to the project.  This includes an online article published by Futurum containing information about the ReEnTrust project in addition to an interview with Elvira Perez Vallejos about her career and how she became a researcher.

The ReEnTrust project was presented at the MRC scientific meeting on The Digital Space and Young People’s Mental Health, which was really well attended by young people and also members of the UKRI Mental Health Networks.

Upcoming on behalf of ReEnTrust, Elvira has been invited as keynote speaker to the Symposium on Technology and Mental Health Belfast in September. Elvira will talk about her research on the impact of technology on wellbeing, and the current evidence regarding online harms and benefits.

ReEnTrust is also continuing policy engagement work that was started with UnBias. Some recent activities include:

• A landscape summary on “Bias in Algorithmic Decision-Making” for the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI), co-authored by Michael Rovatsos (ReEnTrust partner at the University of Edinburgh), Drent Middelstadt and Ansgar Koene.
• Discussions on AI governance at the Word Summit on Information Society, with the Just Net Coalition on “Equality And Social Justice in a Digital World”, at the World Government Summit in Dubai and the CPDP Data Protection and Democracy conference

Tags: algorithms, online, privacy, trust