Bridging the data divide: the journey of data equity from niche to commonplace
Exploring Data Equity with Karen Borchgrevink, Founder of LA Tech4Good
–By Tirelle L.M. Barron
Imagine residing at the crossroads of technology and ethics, advocating for transparency and fairness in a world often obscured by jargon and complex systems. Welcome to the domain of data equity, a rapidly emerging field that is playing an increasingly critical role in various sectors from technology to healthcare, and academia to nonprofits.
To get a better understanding, I traveled to Echo Park, Los Angeles, where I had the pleasure of speaking with Karen Borchgrevink, the founder of LA Tech4Good. This nonprofit organization is a leader in the field of data equity and its practical applications.
The Essence of Data Equity
Data equity revolves around the principle of ensuring that all data collected or stored within a system adheres to ethical standards. This includes providing users with transparency and encouraging easy data sharing for peer assessment. The relevance of this practice extends into many aspects of our daily lives, managing our interactions with the digital world, including our use of various apps, systems, and tools.
Consider the situation in which a patient wishes to change healthcare providers. Data equity standards will ensure that this patient's entire medical records are easily accessible and downloadable. This is critical because full access to prior health data can have a major impact on future medical decisions and treatments.
Similarly, while shopping online, data equity means that customers have the right to know how their purchase history, location, and browsing data are used. It encourages businesses to disclose whether this data changes the prices, discounts, or product recommendations that particular consumers see.
One topic that came up throughout our discussion was "data colonialism." While this term may sound frightening, it distinguishes between ethical and unethical data activities, emphasizing the importance of transparency, justice, and accountability.
Data colonialism is often used when referring to the Global South, serving as a critique of the global data system. The theory argues that multinational tech corporations, largely based in the Global North, extract and control data from people around the world. Similar to historical colonialism, in which powerful entities exploited the resources of less powerful regions or peoples, data colonialism describes a scenario in which corporations and governments harvest vast amounts of data from individuals without their explicit consent, under-compensation, or even awareness.
This collected data can be utilized to generate revenue in a variety of ways, including targeted advertising, AI technology advancement, and political profiling, among others. In many aspects, data colonialism emphasizes concerns of data privacy, consent, and digital rights, as well as the power dynamics between those with the capacity to gather, store, analyze, and use data and those from whom the data is harvested.
As we move towards a more interconnected future between our cities, tools and people where every decision counts, the danger of data colonialism is ever present as it opens the door to the marginalization of already underserved populations. Similar to the effects of prejudice, solutions within the data equity space must involve all parties affected to ensure every voice is represented in data practices.
“Equity is both an outcome and a process” is one of LA Tech4Good’s touchstones, quoted from Data Feminism by Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein, where you can gain more understanding of this important concept.
Image Source: National Association of Countries: “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Key Terms and Definitions”
LA Tech4Good in Action
At the heart of LA Tech4Good's mission is the understanding that data is about people and that it wields immense power. They advocate for individuals to own and control the data they generate, and they believe that data equitable policies necessitate action, accountability, data privacy considerations, openness, and anonymity protection.
As a nonprofit dedicated to equitable data practices, LA Tech4Good has been instrumental in implementing several impactful projects. Below are two examples that exemplify the organization's commitment to its mission.
Integrating Ethics into Product Development: This June event focused on ensuring ethical considerations are a foundational part of the product development cycle. The objective is to mitigate the potential negative impacts of technology on society and promote the development of products that respect and foster equity. As an observer at this event, I found it fascinating to see professionals from various industries incorporating data equity practices into their team workflows. A standout moment was hearing from a participant who was engaged with Snap Inc., a company I previously worked for. Listening to each participant's distinct perspectives on ensuring transparency in their products was enlightening. It resonated with my experience at Snap Inc., where the company strongly advocated for privacy and transparency concerning user data. The whole event served as a refreshing reminder of the importance of ethical practices in technology development.
Leading Equitable Data Practices: Through one and three-session formats, LA Tech4Good offers signature data equity training to individuals and organizations. The workshops invite anyone who works with data to learn how to infuse equity and ethics into their work, thereby strengthening the data equity movement.
A Deep Dive into LA Tech4Good
Karen mentioned some of the unique challenges and achievements of running a nonprofit in the data equity field with us.
Although they are a technology-focused nonprofit, as with most small nonprofits, they are challenged to build out a lean tech stack that integrates all their data and captures key metrics across multiple platforms.
Volunteers are essential to LA Tech4Good, improving the organization's bandwidth and providing critical insights. For example, their contributions have sparked useful debates about website traffic analysis and user experience research, giving Karen's team a better grasp of their target audience. And their trained workshop facilitators bring solid expertise across data, strategy and equity spaces, but they still function as volunteers in the young organization.
The pandemic presented challenges to LA Tech4Good, where their previous model of in-person events no longer held up. They shifted to virtual courses at the same time as their work moved to focus on data equity, instead of a general "tech for good" theme. Now, as the pandemic recedes, they're returning to in-person conversations, as well as a monthly newsletter and articles written in collaboration with partners and in-house writers.
Illuminating the Data Equity Landscape
In the pursuit of data equity, Karen acknowledges the organizations and individuals shes draws inspiration from, as well as those contributing to the space. Recognized leaders include the Algorithmic Justice League, led by Dr Joy Buolamini, We All Count, Dr. Ruman Chowdhury, Dr. Timnit Gebru, and Data Science 4 All.
Karen, however, expressed concern about the "talking heads" in the field, those who offer great ideas but seldom put them into action. This observation fuels her commitment to ensuring that LA Tech4Good is deeply rooted in pragmatism, focusing on realistic implementations and encouraging tangible action within the community. Between information entrepreneurs, influencers and those eager to gain an audience, talking heads are not unique to the data equity field. What makes them particularly bad actors in space is that alluding tangible action can have grave results when you factor in how impactful data is to our everyday decisions.
Translating Ideas into Action: The Adaptive Model of LA Tech4Good
One of the primary challenges in the data equity field is the gap between ideas and action. While there's no shortage of thought leaders proposing insightful ideas and theoretical solutions, implementing these into actionable change often presents a much more complex task. These so-called "talking heads" play a vital role in raising awareness and driving the conversation, but the data equity field requires more than conversation alone.
Karen Borchgrevink, the founder of LA Tech4Good, acknowledges this challenge head-on. Inspired by the compelling ideas circulating within the industry, she also recognizes the pressing need to convert them into tangible, meaningful progress. Hence, she ensures that LA Tech4Good distinguishes itself by being deeply rooted in pragmatism and focusing on practical implementations.
Looking Ahead: From Niche to Commonplace
Karen's passion for data equity is palpable, extending well beyond workshops and digital content. Despite the challenges faced, LA Tech4Good is unrelenting in its mission to bring data equity from the periphery into the mainstream. Karen emphasizes the need to shift our discourse around data equity, aligning its guiding principles more closely with everyday decisions
My conversation with Karen underscored the critical importance of data equity in today's digital world and the significant role organizations like LA Tech4Good play in promoting its values. As we continue to navigate this complex landscape, it's clear that our collective efforts toward ensuring ethical data practices will profoundly shape how we discuss equity and produce solutions.
About the author
Tirelle L.M. Barron is a user centered designer and researcher dedicated to bringing awareness to the systems we interact with on a daily basis. Tirelle’s passion for civics and accessible technology has been the lighthouse guiding him throughout his career in social media and user research.
Tirelle is also Founder of The Barron Review.