{"id":10539,"date":"2023-11-05T14:25:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-05T19:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/?p=10539"},"modified":"2023-11-09T22:50:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T03:50:22","slug":"partnering-with-civil-society-pit-un-panel-explores-ways-to-assist-the-public-interest-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/2023\/11\/05\/partnering-with-civil-society-pit-un-panel-explores-ways-to-assist-the-public-interest-community\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Partnering with Civil Society:\u2019 PIT-UN Panel Explores Ways to Assist the Public Interest Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"responsive-video responsive-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Partnering with Civil Society Panel\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XyfH-ALjWaI?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technology has a tremendous impact on human lives and communities, both positive and negative. The most vulnerable and marginalized groups in society often bear the brunt of technology\u2019s harms. For public interest technologists, technology must serve the needs of these communities in order to be considered \u201cprogress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Panelists at the annual\u00a0Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) Convening 2023, held earlier this month at Boston University\u2019s Center for Computing &amp; Data Sciences, discussed the importance of forming partnerships to foster individual and community rights, advance justice, and build resilience throughout all stages of a technology\u2019s life span.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cPartnering with Civil Society\u201d panel took an interdisciplinary approach to the issue, featuring panelists with expertise in law, journalism, sustainability and social computing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2758-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The panelists agreed that advocating for specific outcomes is not enough in PIT partnerships with nonprofits and community organizations;. involving the people affected by technology throughout the entire process is critical. Carlton E. Williams, assistant clinical professor of law and faculty of the Movement Lawyering Clinic at Cornell University) put it this way when describing technological harms in policing: \u201c the person with a boot on their neck knows what the problem is.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pitcases.org\/rochester-institute-of-technology\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rochester Institute of Technology<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Assistant Professor Nathan Williams noted that for practitioners who are not on the front lines of a community issue, listening is as essential as action.. \u201cSometimes we think we&#8217;ve identified the problem, and we have to listen when civil society partners say, \u2018That&#8217;s not it,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Chris Lewis, president of the nonprofit Public Knowledge, pointed out, \u201cThe public interest community is broad.\u201d Treating it as a monolith could undermine the effectiveness of universities\u2019 and researchers\u2019 work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2701-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students and scholars can support communities affected by technological harms in varied ways. \u201cWe ran a matchmaking program where we interviewed community members to understand their needs, and instead of serving them directly ourselves, we helped them navigate all the existing programs,\u201d said David Lee, assistant professor of technology management at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pitcases.org\/university-of-california-santa-cruz\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of California, Santa Cruz<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public interest community workers are often putting out fires on multiple fronts and may have a different timeline than their academic partners. Amy Kristin Sanders, associate professor at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pitcases.org\/university-of-texas-at-austin\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of Texas at Austin<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, suggested open dialogue to prioritize the right issues. The questions she poses to community partners include, \u201cWhat can we do for you short term, what can we do for you medium term, and what would you like from us long term?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Along those lines, PIT practitioners and educators should always remember that \u201ctechnology goes fast; engagement is slow,\u201d noted moderator John Wilbanks, senior fellow at the Datasphere Initiative and former head of data at Biogen Digital Health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/files\/2023\/11\/PIT-UN-Convening-2023-2806-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>About PIT-UN: Boston University (BU), in partnership with New America\u2019s PIT program,\u00a0proudly hosted the annual\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pitun2023\/live-stream\/\"><em>Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) Convening 2023<\/em><\/a><em> on\u00a0October 12-13, 2023,\u00a0at the newly constructed\u00a0Center for Computing &amp; Data Sciences,\u00a0665 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Organized around the theme of\u00a0<strong>Partnership for Impact<\/strong>, the 2023 Convening explored how universities can partner with government, companies, universities, and community organizations to foster public interest technology and address modern challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Toni Fitzgerald, CDS Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PIT-UN Convening 2023 coverage: \u2018Partnering with Civil Society:\u2019 PIT-UN Panel Explores Ways to Assist the Public Interest Community<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18026,"featured_media":10664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[465],"tags":[27,461,466],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10539"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18026"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10539"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10803,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10539\/revisions\/10803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}