Shouting Zeros and Ones: Digital Technology, Ethics and Policy in New Zealand

Dr Andrew Chen (@andrewtychen) is a Research Fellow at Koi Tū – the Centre for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland, researching digital transformation and its impacts on society. Andrew has a PhD in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Auckland, where he used computer vision and artificial intelligence techniques to build a camera-based person tracking system for indoor environments, while also investigating how to use that technology to help protect the privacy of people being observed. As an interdisciplinary researcher, Andrew brings a technical lens to ethical and policy issues around the use of technology. He also supports other research about complex societal systems, and develops data collection, processing, and visualisation systems. Additionally, Andrew works as a Venture Associate for the Matū Fund, an early-stage investment fund that supports science and technology commercialisation from research institutions.

Katherine (Kathy) Errington is the Founding Executive Director of the Helen Clark Foundation, a think tank based at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Former Prime Minister Helen Clark serves as the organisation’s patron. Until 2018, Kathy was a diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, completing rotations in the Pacific bilateral and regional division, followed by a posting to Japan. She is a graduate from Auckland University with a master’s degree in political studies.

Anjum Rahman (@kiwistargazer) is the founder and Project Lead of the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono, as well as a member of the newly formed Independent Advisory Committee of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. She has been campaigning against discrimination against ethnic and religious minority communities and women for twenty years, and has recently targeted discriminatory practices for content regulation by social media platforms. Anjum is also an accountant and on the governance boards of various NGOs including Trust Waikato.

Tom Barraclough (@Tom_Bcgh) is a legal researcher and director at the Brainbox Institute, specialising in the intersection of technology, law, and policy. He was a principal investigator on the Perception Inception project funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation, which examined the impacts of emerging synthetic media technologies like deepfakes. He has other research interests in computational law, access to justice, health policy, and environmental philosophy, with further research projects scheduled for release in 2020.

Curtis R. Barnes (@curt_is_online) is an Auckland-based researcher and analyst of emerging technologies policy. His focus lies at the intersection of law, information, and the internet. He is most interested in how we can improve the infrastructure for web-based communications amidst disruptive forces like synthetic media, information warfare, and censorship. Curtis holds the degree of Master of Laws with Distinction from the University of Otago, where he wrote his thesis on risks arising from theoretical applications of existing computational technologies.

Prof. Tahu Kukutai (Ngāti Tiipa, Ngāti Kinohaku, Te Aupōuri) (@thkukutai) is a Professor of Demography at the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA) based at the University of Waikato, where she specialises in Māori and Indigenous population research. She co-edited the landmark book Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Toward an Agenda (ANU Press, 2016) and is a founding member of the Māori Data Sovereignty Network Te Mana Raraunga and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance. She was previously a journalist.

Dr Donna Cormack (Kāti Mamoe, Kai Tahu) (@phactgirl) is a researcher and teacher with joint positions at Te Kupenga Hauora Māori (University of Auckland) and Te Rōpū Rangahau Hauora a Eru Pomare (University of Otago). Her work focuses on the impacts of racism and colonialism on Māori health, Māori Data Sovereignty, and critical, decolonial research practices.

Chris Cormack (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe) (@ranginui) is Kaihuawaere Matihiko and Koha team technical lead for Catalyst IT in Wellington, developing software for library management. He believes in Free Software and allowing users the freedom to innovate, particularly in how open source software can help people realise sovereignty and self-determination. He has a BSc in Computer Science and a BA in Mathematics and Māori Studies.

 Merrin Macleod (@merxplat) is a software developer and designer who has worked for a number of private and public organisations over the last decade, most recently as Technology Lead for the Service Innovation Lab. She frequently speaks at tech community conferences in New Zealand and Australia, and leads the New Zealand community for the Ruby programming language.

Caleb Moses (@Caleb_Speak) is a data scientist with Dragonfly Data Science. He has been using machine learning to create new technologies for te reo Māori, such as speech recognition, and also has broad interests in ethics for modern AI systems. He previously worked at StatsNZ as a confidentiality subject matter expert for the IDI.

Stephen Judd (@saniac) is a technologist who has been online since the internet reached New Zealand in 1989. He has run local government and electorate election campaigns. He has been working in the information technology sector since 1995.

Briony Blackmore is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of Otago and is a member of Otago’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Public Policy (CAIPP). She has a master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Otago. Her master’s thesis examined predictive risk models used in the New Zealand corrections system and the level of transparency required for their use.

Anna Pendergrast (@APndrgrst) is a writer and policy analyst based in Wellington. Her research and project work has spanned issues including digital inclusion, digital identity, public archives, artificial intelligence, and the future of work. She holds a BA in Film and Media Studies from the University of Otago.

Kelly Pendergrast (@k_pendergrast) is a writer and researcher based in San Francisco. Her writing and criticism covers labour, technology, visual culture, and the political economy of Silicon Valley. She holds a BA from the University of Otago, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California San Diego.

Serena Chen (@Sereeena) is an interaction designer working on privacy and security at Google Chrome. She writes and speaks about the intersection of design, information security, policy and ethics.