Predictive Policing Among Topics Shared at SAT Panel Discussion

The impact of “Big Brother” within private industry, the security of today’s tech solutions,
and the pros and cons of predictive policing were just three of the topics discussed at the
first panel discussion in the Ethics and Technology Panel Discussion Series on December
14, 2019. Held in IIT Tower Auditorium, the event was jointly sponsored by Illinois
Institute of Technology’s Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs and the
School of Applied Technology’s Real-Time Communications Lab.

Alexandra M. Franco, visiting assistant professor of law, moderated the discussion, which
focused on policing and surveillance. Panelists Cynthia Hood, associate chair and associate
professor of computer science and engineering; Vijay K. Gurbani, adjunct faculty member in
the Department of Computer Science; and Germaine Walker, senior information technology
security and compliance consultant with Allstate Insurance Company, described the types
of technological solutions for policing and public surveillance in use today and addressed
potential biases and inequities introduced by each. Audience members raised questions
about how to find work that does not violate personal ethical standards and how to
conduct business in workplaces where tech solutions are being created.

The next panel discussion in the series, which will focus on health care, will be held on
Saturday, April 4, 2020.

Image by Fred Walls Media