DOBT's Rewiring Government

In this episode of Rewiring Government, CEO Joshua Goldstein talks to David Robinson, principal at Upturn, about civil rights in the digital age. They cover big data, the ethics ruling company research labs, and ways to hold algorithms accountable, particularly when it comes to poor, vulnerable, or otherwise disadvantaged people.

Want to learn more about civil rights in the age of big data? Check out these awesome resources:

- "Government Data and the Invisible Hand" by David Robinson, Harlan Yu, William P. Zeller, and Edward W. Felten

- "The New Ambiguity of 'Open Government'" by Harlan Yu and David Robinson

- Equal Future by Team Upturn

- "Be Careful What You Code For," a talk by danah boyd

- Anil Dash's blog

- "Parable of the Polygons," an interactive by Nicky Case

CEO Josh Goldstein and Kleiner-Perkins partner Swati Mylavarapu dive deep into the value of technology companies and the give-and-take needed for real change inside the government.

Guest host Adam Becker and 18F's Aidan Feldman discuss Cloud.gov, some interesting "bureaucracy hacks," and the remaining barriers to real technological change within the federal government.

Referenced links:

• Cloud.gov: cloud.gov
• 18F's guide to launching software: https://pages.18f.gov/before-you-ship/
• Aidan Feldman on IT Compliance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nc4GXPxpQg&index=1&list=PLd9b-GuOJ3nG5zDAg7exOHusZKVVrkhjO

Alex Howard, a senior analyst at the Sunlight Foundation, discusses how government harnesses technology to regain trust, the surprisingly meaningful impact of nonprofit tax data, and trends in open government and police accountability.

Rachel Lunsford, the project manager of the Blue Button Initiative at the Veteran Affairs Agency, talks about the program's development, managers who say "yes", user feedback, and using "Midwestern nice" to get things done.

In the first episode of Rewiring Government, we talk to Justin Erlich, the Data and Technology Advisor to Kamala Harris, California's Attorney General. We discuss Kamala Harris' launch of OpenJustice, one of the most high-profile criminal justice transparency initiatives in the country, especially relevant given the public debate around racial bias in policing.

OpenJustice: http://openjustice.doj.ca.gov

CA Criminal Justice Statistics Center: https://oag.ca.gov/cjsc/spereq