MLC Event: Privacy, Ethics, and Transparency in Scaling Technologies for Development
MLC Event | December 16th 2021
We live in a world where new and emerging technologies are revolutionizing the way we operate and function. These technologies are not new to the development field, where Machine Learning, Drones, and FinTech are increasingly integrated into programming. However, new ways of working also bring new challenges, and development actors are continuously faced with the dilemma of how to balance efficiency with ethics and transparency.
On Thursday 16th December, experts from two Million Lives Collective (MLC) Member Organisations, VillageReach and Simprints, discussed this dilemma presenting their tech-based innovations through an ethical lens, exploring how they navigate risks as they scale their technologies. Ethical implications were discussed focusing on how to mitigate the issue of maintaining privacy while enhancing transparency and accountability. Following the presentations of VillageReach’s Drone for Health program and Simprints’ Biometric technology, the panelists engaged in an insightful conversation on the role of local stakeholders including local community members, civil society organizations, governments, and the private sector, in decisions around the development and use of technologies and data. The panel was chaired by Marie-Louise Wijne, Senior Policy Advisor on Digitalisation for Development at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Olivier Defawe, VillageReach’s Health Systems Director and Drones for Health program lead, shared a framework for Ethical Assessment of Humanitarian Drones (FEAHD), which VillageReach and other partners use to address ethical, legal and social implications in their work. The framework includes ethical considerations addressing the issues of “harm” (safety, public welfare, individual benefits), “justice” (procedural justice, cost-effectiveness, stakeholder responsibility) and “respect” (community acceptance and engagement, privacy and information security). To complement the FEAHD framework, VillageReach also adopts a sustainability approach whereby community members are sensitized through demonstrations and shows on the use of drones to minimize drawbacks. Such community sensitization schemes allow local communities to develop relationships built on trust which allow to implement longer-term solutions which do not disrupt local ecosystems.
“Drones are being used to improve the equitable access to health products”
James Eaton-Lee, Simprints' Director of Privacy, Responsible Data and Risk, complemented the discussion providing insights on how Simprints works to enhance the ethical and transparent use of its biometric technology. James provided examples of the role of informed consent in General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and how it must be supplemented with principles of accountability. Moreover, responding to a question on the involvement of local communities in the creation of Simprints’ technology, James explained how the design of the hardware itself was generated through a process of participatory design whereby communities were involved in the creation from the first stages of its minimum viable product.
“Privacy and ethics are inherently about people - they are very context-specific”
“Offering informed choice doesn’t solve privacy problems as choice needs to be supported by a privacy-preserving ecosystem.”
The panel concluded with three key takeaways and asks for donors and partners:
“It takes time!” - It takes time and resources for activities such as community sensitization to take place and it is important for donors not to overlook this. Resources and time are key to sustain ongoing engagement with communities.
Donors should be connecting with fundees and asking questions about ‘the how’ - Donor relationships often become very contractual and tokenistic at times and talking to fundees should be incorporated into the programming and implementation of projects.
The importance of “sustainable thinking” - It is crucial for donors and stakeholders to understand whether a technology can solve the root cause of a problem and, in doing this, it is crucial to make technologies extremely context-specific. Donors must keep asking themselves: “what is the context in which this innovation can be sustainable and sustained over time?”, and, in responding to this, they must ensure resources are in place before implementing it.
