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LunchTalks@CAF: CBD: How Big Data Can Help Guide Positive Neighborhood Change, or Not

Susana Vasquez, Executive Director, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) - Chicago

Government and nonprofits are increasingly expected to use data to guide their work and drive their decisions. But sometimes those very data sets undermine trust and privacy rights of the citizens those institutions serve. Chicago Police use predictive analytics to identify possible perpetrators, perhaps compounding socio-economic factors that effect those individuals. Data-driven decision making led to school closures for Chicago Public Schools, while open-data advocates used SchoolCuts.org to present another view. What code of ethics should guide the use of data by local governments and the social sector? How far should data drive decisions in a democracy and what is the changing role of community-based nonprofits in using big data as an advocacy tool?