Student Testimonial

Thursday January 16, 2025

Dear Donor,   

I am a Tech and Public Policy Scholar at the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown in Washington, DC. I am part of the Georgetown Tech Policy Initiative (GTPI) leadership team and through my academic, professional and extracurricular pursuits have cultivated my deep passion for advancing human-centered technology policy and protecting human rights and dignity in digital spaces.

This letter is intended to bring your attention to the systematic disenfranchisement of/and biases held against People of Color that has carried over into the codes and application of AI technology. This is a call to action for stronger federal standards of regulation of surveillance technology with particular consideration to address the evidence-backed racial bias of the technology. For instance, the use of AI facial recognition technology is rapidly adopted – sans regulatory framework – by policing agencies across the country. The US government conducted a study which found that African American and Asian faces were up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white faces. This can have grave consequences on the welfare and right to free movement of our citizens which disproportionately affects communities of color. This is just one example of how AI can perpetrate the same biases and injustices we see in the US today.

It is imperative that change agents, such as yourself, take a proactive stance on addressing the lackadaisical application and adaptation of flawed technology. By donating to organizations that are working towards AI transparency and accountability, specifically with the lens of protecting communities of color, you can uplift important voices to the conversations happening at the Capitol.  

A place to send your resources can include Color of Change, who have a Black Tech Agenda for how to protect and enfranchise Black People’s digital lives. This type of work ends up benefiting everyone, regardless of race. Too often organizations fighting for the inclusion and protection of underserved communities are excluded from the policies that shape their constituencies' lives. We must demand an updated and robust federal privacy protection with clear and enforceable oversight mechanisms including audits, policy interventions and inclusive technology design that keep these communities at the forefront of the conversation.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue and take action towards a more equitable society that puts humans at the center of Tech policy.

Sincerely,

Talia Stringfellow

Tech and Public Policy Scholar

McCourt School of Public Policy

Georgetown University