Participatory Approaches to Responsible Data Reuse and Establishing a Social License

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Chapter by Stefaan Verhulst, Andrew J. Zahuranec & Adam Zable in Global Public Goods Communication (edited by Sónia Pedro Sebastião and Anne-Marie Cotton): “… examines innovative participatory processes for establishing a social license for reusing data as a global public good. While data reuse creates societal value, it can raise concerns and reinforce power imbalances when individuals and communities lack agency over how their data is reused. To address this, the chapter explores participatory approaches that go beyond traditional consent mechanisms. By engaging data subjects and stakeholders, these approaches aim to build trust and ensure data reuse benefits all parties involved.

The chapter presents case studies of participatory approaches to data reuse from various sectors. This includes The GovLab’s New York City “Data Assembly,” which engaged citizens to set conditions for reusing cell phone data during the COVID-19 response. These examples highlight both the potential and challenges of citizen engagement, such as the need to invest in data literacy and other resources to support meaningful public input. The chapter concludes by considering whether participatory processes for data reuse can foster digital self-determination…(More)”.

Facilitating the secondary use of health data for public interest purposes across borders

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

OECD Paper: “Recent technological developments create significant opportunities to process health data in the public interest. However, the growing fragmentation of frameworks applied to data has become a structural impediment to fully leverage these opportunities. Public and private stakeholders suggest that three key areas should be analysed to support this outcome, namely: the convergence of governance frameworks applicable to health data use in the public interest across jurisdictions; the harmonisation of national procedures applicable to secondary health data use; and the public perceptions around the use of health data. This paper explores each of these three key areas and concludes with an overview of collective findings relating specifically to the convergence of legal bases for secondary data use…(More)”.

Protecting young digital citizens

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Blog by Pascale Raulin-Serrier: “…As digital tools become more deeply embedded in children’s lives, many young users are unaware of the long-term consequences of sharing personal information online through apps, games, social media platforms and even educational tools. The large-scale collection of data related to their preferences, identity or lifestyle may be used for targeted advertising or profiling. This affects not only their immediate online experiences but can also have lasting consequences, including greater risks of discrimination and exclusion. These concerns underscore the urgent need for stronger safeguards, greater transparency and a child-centered approach to data governance.

CNIL’s initiatives to promote children’s privacy

In response to these challenges, the CNIL introduced eight recommendations in 2021 to provide practical guidance for children, parents and other stakeholders in the digital economy. These are built around several key pillars to promote and protect children’s privacy:

1. Providing specific safeguards

Children have distinct digital rights and must be able to exercise them fully. Under the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), they benefit from special protections, including the right to be forgotten and, in some cases, the ability to consent to the processing of their data.In France, children can only register for social networks or online gaming platforms if they are over 15, or with parental consent if they are younger. CNIL helps hold platforms accountable by offering clear recommendations on how to present terms of service and collect consent in ways that are accessible and understandable to children.

2. Balancing autonomy and protection

The needs and capacities of a 6-year-old child differ greatly from those of a 16-year-old adolescent. It is essential to consider this diversity in online behaviour, maturity and the evolving ability to make informed decisions. The CNIL emphasizes  the importance of offering children a digital environment that strikes a balance between protection and autonomy. It also advocates for digital citizenship education to empower young people with the tools they need to manage their privacy responsibly…(More)”. See also Responsible Data for Children.

5 Ways AI is Boosting Citizen Engagement in Africa’s Democracies

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Article by Peter Agbesi Adivor: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing democratic participation across Africa. From campaigning to voter education, AI is transforming electoral processes across the continent. While concerns about misinformation and government overreach persist, AI also offers promising avenues to enhance citizen engagement. This article explores five key ways AI is fostering more inclusive and participatory democracies in Africa.

1. AI-Powered Voter Education and Campaign

AI-driven platforms are revolutionizing voter education by providing accessible, real-time information. These platforms ensure citizens receive standardized electoral information delivered to them on their digital devices regardless of their geographical location, significantly reducing the cost for political actors as well as state and non-state actors who focus on voter education. They also ensure that those who can navigate these tools easily access the needed information, allowing authorities to focus limited resources on citizens on the other side of the digital divide.

 In Nigeria, ChatVE developed CitiBot, an AI-powered chatbot deployed during the 2024 Edo State elections to educate citizens on their civic rights and responsibilities via WhatsApp and Telegram. The bot offered information on voting procedures, eligibility, and the importance of participation.

Similarly, in South Africa, the Rivonia Circle introduced Thoko the Bot, an AI chatbot designed to answer voters’ questions about the electoral process, including where and how to vote, and the significance of participating in elections.

These AI tools enhance voter understanding and engagement by providing personalized, easily accessible information, thereby encouraging greater participation in democratic processes…(More)”.

European project to make web search more open and ethical

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

PressRelease: “The OpenWebSearch.eu consortium, which includes CERN, has released a pilot of the first federated, pan-European Open Web Index, paving the way for a new generation of unbiased and ethical search engines

Artistic map of Europe with search bars in different languages overlaid
(Image: openwebsearch.eu / using images by NASA (europe_dnb_2012_lrg.jpg), Unsplash (christopher-burns-dzejyfCAzIA-unsplash))

On 6 June, the OpenWebSearch.eu consortium released a pilot of a new infrastructure that aims to make European web search fairer, more transparent and commercially unbiased. With strong participation by CERN, the European Open Web Index (OWI) is now open for use by academic, commercial and independent teams under a general research licence, with commercial options in development on a case-by-case basis.

The OpenWebSearch.eu initiative was launched in 2022, with a consortium made up of 14 leading research institutions from across Europe, including CERN…

The OWI offers a clear alternative based on European values. The project’s cross-disciplinary nature, ensuring continuous dialogue between technical teams and legal, ethical and social experts, ensures that fairness and privacy are built into the OWI from the start. “Over thirty years since the World Wide Web was created at CERN and released to the public, our commitment to openness continues,” says Noor Afshan Fathima, IT research fellow at CERN. “Search is the next logical step in democratising digital access, especially as we enter the AI era.” The OWI facilitates AI capabilities, allowing web search data to be used for training large language models (LLMs), generating embeddings and powering chatbots…(More)”.

5 Ways AI Supports City Adaptation to Extreme Heat

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Article by Urban AI: “Cities stand at the frontline of climate change, confronting some of its most immediate and intense consequences. Among these, extreme heat has emerged as one of the most pressing and rapidly escalating threats. As we enter June 2025, Europe is already experiencing its first major and long-lasting heatwave of the summer season with temperatures surpassing 40°C in parts of Spain, France, and Portugal — and projections indicate that this extreme event could persist well into mid-June.

This climate event is not an isolated incident. By 2050, the number of cities exposed to dangerous levels of heat is expected to triple, with peak temperatures of 48°C (118°F) potentially becoming the new normal in some regions. Such intensifying conditions place unprecedented stress on urban infrastructure, public health systems, and the overall livability of cities — especially for vulnerable communities.

In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a vital tool in the urban climate adaptation toolbox. Urban AI — defined as the application of AI technologies to urban systems and decision-making — can help cities anticipate, manage, and mitigate the effects of extreme heat in more targeted and effective ways.

Cooling the Metro with AI-Driven Ventilation, in Barcelona

With over 130 stations and a century-old metro network, the city of Barcelona faces increasing pressure to ensure passenger comfort and safety — especially underground, where heat and air quality are harder to manage. In response, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), in partnership with SENER Engineering, developed and implemented the RESPIRA® system, an AI-powered ventilation control platform. First introduced in 2020 on Line 1, RESPIRA® demonstrated its effectiveness by lowering ambient temperatures, improving air circulation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and achieving a notable 25.1% reduction in energy consumption along with a 10.7% increase in passenger satisfaction…(More)”

Beyond the Checkbox: Upgrading the Right to Opt Out

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Article by Sebastian Zimmeck: “…rights, as currently encoded in privacy laws, put too much onus on individuals when many privacy problems are systematic.5 Indeed, privacy is a systems property. If we want to make progress toward a more privacy-friendly Web as well as mobile and smart TV platforms, we need to take a systems perspective. For example, instead of requiring people to opt out from individual websites, there should be opt-out settings in browsers and operating systems. If a law requires individual opt-outs, those can be generalized by applying one opt-out toward all future sites visited or apps used, if a user so desires.8

Another problem is that the ad ecosystem is structured such that if people opt out, in many cases, their data is still being shared just as if they would not have opted out. The only difference is that in the latter case the data is accompanied by a privacy flag propagating the opt-out to the data recipient.7 However, if people opt out, their data should not be shared in the first place! The current system relying on the propagation of opt-out signals and deletion of incoming data by the recipient is complicated, error-prone, violates the principle of data minimization, and is an obstacle for effective privacy enforcement. Changing the ad ecosystem is particularly important as it is not only used on the web but also on many other platforms. Companies and the online ad industry as a whole need to do better!..(More)”

Can AI Agents Be Trusted?

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Article by Blair Levin and Larry Downes: “Agentic AI has quickly become one of the most active areas of artificial intelligence development. AI agents are a level of programming on top of large language models (LLMs) that allow them to work towards specific goals. This extra layer of software can collect data, make decisions, take action, and adapt its behavior based on results. Agents can interact with other systems, apply reasoning, and work according to priorities and rules set by you as the principal.

Companies such as Salesforce have already deployed agents that can independently handle customer queries in a wide range of industries and applications, for example, and recognize when human intervention is required.

But perhaps the most exciting future for agentic AI will come in the form of personal agents, which can take self-directed action on your behalf. These agents will act as your personal assistant, handling calendar management, performing directed research and analysis, finding, negotiating for, and purchasing goods and services, curating content and taking over basic communications, learning and optimizing themselves along the way.

The idea of personal AI agents goes back decades, but the technology finally appears ready for prime-time. Already, leading companies are offering prototype personal AI agents to their customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders, raising challenging business and technical questions. Most pointedly: Can AI agents be trusted to act in our best interests? Will they work exclusively for us, or will their loyalty be split between users, developers, advertisers, and service providers? And how will be know?

The answers to these questions will determine whether and how quickly users embrace personal AI agents, and if their widespread deployment will enhance or damage business relationships and brand value…(More)”.

What World Does Bitcoin Want To Build For Itself?

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Article by Patrick Redford: “We often talk about baseball games as a metric for where we are, and we’re literally in the first inning,” one of the Winklevoss twins gloats. “And this game’s going to overtime.”

It’s the first day of Bitcoin 2025, industry day here at the largest cryptocurrency conference in the world. This Winklevoss is sharing the stage with the other one, plus Donald Trump’s newly appointed crypto and AI czar David Sacks. They are in the midst of a victory lap, laughing with the free ease of men who know they have it made. The mangled baseball metaphor neither lands nor elicits laughs, but that’s fine. He’s earned, or at any rate acquired, the right to be wrong.

This year’s Bitcoin Conference takes place amid a boom, the same month the price of a single coin stabilized above $100,000 for the first time. More than 35,000 people have descended on Las Vegas in the final week of May for the conference: bitcoin miners, bitcoin dealers, several retired athletes, three U.S. senators, two Trump children, one U.S. vice president, people who describe themselves as “content creators,” people who describe themselves as “founders,” venture capitalists, ex-IDF bodyguards, tax-dodging experts, crypto heretics, evangelists, paladins, Bryan Johnson, Eric Adams, and me, trying to figure out what they were all doing there together. I’m in Vegas talking to as many people as I can in order to conduct an assay of the orange pill. What is the argument for bitcoin, exactly? Who is making it, and why?

Here is the part of the story where I am supposed to tell you it’s all a fraud. I am supposed to point out that nobody has come up with a use case for blockchain technology in 17 years beyond various forms of money laundering; that half of these people have been prosecuted for one financial crime or another; that the game is rigged in favor of the casino and those who got there before you; that this is an onerous use of energy; that all the mystification around bitcoin is a fog intended to draw in suckers where they can be bled. All that stuff is true, but the trick is that being true isn’t quite the same thing as mattering.

The bitcoin people are winning…(More)”

TAPIS: A Simple Web Tool for Analyzing Citizen-Generated Data

Curated on Posted on by Stefaan Verhulst

Tool by CityObs: “Citizen observatories and communities collect valuable environmental data — but making sense of this data can be tricky, especially if you’re not a data expert. That’s why we created TAPIS: a free, easy-to-use web tool developed within the CitiObs project to help you view, manage, and analyze data collected from sensors and online platforms.

Why We Built TAPIS

The SensorThings API is a standard for sharing sensor data, used by many observatories. However, tools that help people explore this data visually and interactively have been limited. Often, users had to dig into complicated URLs and query parameters such as “expand”, “select”, “orderby” and “filter” to extract the data they needed, as illustrated in tutorials and examples such as the ones collected by SensorUp [1].

TAPIS changes that. It gives you a visual interface to work with sensor data from different API standards (such as SensorThings API, STAplus, OGC API Features/Records, OGC Catalogue Service for the Web, S3 Services, Eclipse Data Connectors, and STAC) and data file formats (such as CSV, JSON, JSON-LD, GeoJSON, and GeoPackage). You can load the data into tables, filter or group it, and view it as maps, bar charts, pie charts, or scatter plots — all in your browser, with no installation required.

Key Features

  • Connects to online data sources (like OGC APIs, STAC, SensorThings, and CSV files)
  • Turns raw data into easy-to-read tables
  • Adds meaning to table columns
  • Visualizes data with different chart types
  • Links with MiraMon to create interactive maps

TAPIS is inspired by the look and feel of Orange Data Mining (a popular data science tool) — but runs entirely in your browser, making it accessible for all users, even those with limited technical skills…(More)”