Our Work
Humanising Machine Intelligence convened a virtual roundtable consultation with Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow to discuss the Human Rights and Technology Project on 28 May 2020. HMI brought a group of senior experts and decision makers together across academia, industry and government to support the important work of the Commission.
Read MoreThe Rapid Research Information Forum, chaired by the Chief Scientist and organised by the Australian Academy of Science, submitted a background research document to the Minister for Health. The Lead Author was Professor Genevieve Bell, AO. Seth Lazar was one of seven other contributing authors.
Read MoreChristian Barry and Seth Lazar consider what justifies requiring some people to bear costs for the sake of others, in the public health response to COVID-19.
Read MoreThis article, in US magazine Barron's, explores how to think about the privacy risks of app-based contact-tracing in the age of big data, arguing that even if tech companies choose wisely and justly, the 'laws' of their operating systems cannot be legitimate. Democratic institutions are the only means we've discovered to legitimate the use of power in complex social systems.
Read MoreIn this article, co-authored with epidemiologist Meru Sheel, Seth Lazar questions whether tech companies or democratically-elected governments should decide how to weigh privacy against public health, when fundamental rights are not at stake.
Read MoreLaunched on ANZAC Day weekend, the COVIDSafe app is one of the fastest-downloaded apps in Australian history, but has also been the source of much controversy. A month in, we now know more about the app itself, the legislation supporting it, and the alternatives available around the world. It's possible to make an informed assessment of where we are, and where we need to go from here.
Read MoreWatch the video of our webinar on COVIDSafe, 4 weeks in, here. Seth Lazar chaired a discussion with some of Australia’s leading experts in public health, privacy and cybersecurity, asking not only whether the app works and whether the risks posed to privacy are proportionate and necessary, but also about the politics of vesting authority to make major decisions about public health in unaccountable tech companies.
Read MoreColin Klein was interviewed by ABC Drive and 2CC Canberra about conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 and the role of online information platforms such as twitter in propagating misinformation.
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