Exploring Strategies to Bridge the U.S.'s Digital Inequality Issue
The Center for Data Innovation is hosting a panel discussion on August 30, 2022, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM (EDT) to address the data divide, a growing issue that exists in America, separate from the digital divide. The panel discussion will take place at an important time, as the historic infrastructure package aims to close the digital divide.
The panel will feature speakers from various fields, including government, technology, and academia. Notable speakers include Denice Ross, U.S. Chief Data Scientist, Gillian Diebold, Policy Analyst at the Center for Data Innovation, who will moderate the discussion, and Dominique Harrison, Director of Racial Equity Design and Data Initiative (REDDI), Citi Ventures Innovation. Other speakers include Ioana Tanase, Accessibility Program Manager at Microsoft, Christopher Wood, Executive Director of LGBT Tech, and Traci Morris, Executive Director of the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University.
At the individual level, data empowers individuals to access data-driven financial, educational, and healthcare services. However, the data divide can negatively impact one's ability to participate in the data economy. Not everyone has enough high-quality data collected about them or their communities, which can create or exacerbate social and economic inequalities.
Advances in technology make it cheaper and easier to produce, collect, and use data. However, these advancements can also lead to a widening data divide if not addressed properly. The panel discussion will focus on the data divide and its impact on individuals and society, and will explore potential solutions to promote equitable participation in the data economy.
Based on general knowledge of data equity discussions, policymakers typically consider the following steps to address data disparities:
- Enhance Data Accessibility: Promote open data initiatives and reduce barriers that prevent underrepresented groups from accessing and contributing to data resources.
- Invest in Digital Infrastructure: Support broadband access and digital literacy programs in underserved communities to enable equitable participation.
- Implement Inclusive Data Governance: Develop policies that ensure diverse representation in data collection, algorithm design, and decision-making processes to avoid bias and exclusion.
- Support Data Privacy and Protection: Enforce robust privacy regulations to build trust among all demographic groups, encouraging wider participation.
- Promote Education and Skills Development: Fund training programs that prepare individuals from diverse backgrounds for jobs in the data economy.
- Monitor and Measure Disparities: Establish metrics and reporting requirements to track progress in reducing data disparities and guide policy adjustments.
These steps are crucial in promoting equitable participation in the data economy and reducing the negative impacts of the data divide on individuals and society. The panel discussion will provide valuable insights into the data divide and its solutions, offering a platform for experts to share their knowledge and ideas.
- The Center for Data Innovation is hosting a panel discussion on August 30, 2022, addressing the data divide, a growing issue separate from the digital divide.
- Notable speakers at the panel, including Denice Ross and Gillian Diebold, will discuss the impact of the data divide on individuals and society, and potential solutions to promote equitable participation in the data economy.
- The data divide can negatively impact one's ability to participate in the data economy, as not everyone has enough high-quality data collected about them or their communities.
- Advances in technology can lead to a widening data divide if not addressed properly, making it cheaper and easier to produce, collect, and use data.
- To address data disparities, policymakers typically consider steps such as enhancing data accessibility, investing in digital infrastructure, implementing inclusive data governance, supporting data privacy and protection, promoting education and skills development, and monitoring and measuring disparities.
- The panel discussion will focus on these steps and their role in promoting equitable participation in the data economy and reducing the negative impacts of the data divide on individuals and society.
- The panel discussion, featuring speakers from government, technology, and academia, will offer a platform for experts to share their knowledge and ideas on the data divide and its solutions, in the context of the historic infrastructure package aiming to close the digital divide.
