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- Mathematicians at universities across the country are halting collaborations with police departments across the U.S.
- A June 15 letter was sent to the trade journal Notices of the American Mathematical Society, announcing the boycott.
- Typically, mathematicians work with police departments to build algorithms, conduct modeling work, and analyze data.
Some academics are calling the controversial practice a "scientific veneer for racism." notices Courtney Linder, Senior News Editor at Popular Mechanics
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| Photo: Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
These
mathematicians are urging fellow researchers to stop all work related
to predictive policing software, which broadly includes any data
analytics tools that use historical data to help forecast future crime,
potential offenders, and victims. The technology is supposed to use
probability to help police departments tailor their neighborhood
coverage so it puts officers in the right place at the right time.
"Given the structural racism and brutality in U.S. policing, we do not
believe that mathematicians should be collaborating with police
departments in this manner," the authors write in the letter...
Some of the mathematicians include Cathy O'Neil, author of the popular book Weapons of Math Destruction, which
outlines the very algorithmic bias that the letter rallies against.
There's also Federico Ardila, a Colombian mathematician currently
teaching at San Francisco State University, who is known for his work to diversify the field of mathematics.
"This is a moment where many of us have become aware of realities that
have existed for a very long time," says Jayadev Athreya, associate
professor at the University of Washington's Department of Mathematics
who signed the letter, told Popular Mechanics. "And many of us
felt that it was very important to make a clear statement about where
we, as mathematicians, stand on these issues."
Source: Popular Mechanics
