A federal court in Washington, DC has scheduled a Wednesday, October 16 hearing in EPIC v. AI Commission, EPIC’s lawsuit to open the records and meetings of the National Commission on Artificial Intelligence. Judge Trevor N. McFadden also ordered the AI Commission to respond to EPIC’s motion for a preliminary injunction by Tuesday, October 8. EPIC filed the lawsuit after the Commission failed to provide EPIC access to its meetings and records, operating in near-total secrecy for six months. The Commission is chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and dominated by representatives of large tech firms, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Oracle. The case is EPIC v. AI Commission, No. 19-2906 (D.D.C.).
Judge Reggie B. Walton said Tuesday that he expects to make a ruling within 30 days in EPIC’s case for the release of the complete Mueller Report. The statement came during a hearing on EPIC’s lawsuit and a related case brought by CNN. EPIC brought the first suit in the nation for the release of the unredacted Mueller Report and argued for its release in August. Judge Walton also criticized the Department of Justice for the agency’s slow processing of requests for Special Counsel records, saying that the purpose of the FOIA has been “totally undermined by a lack of resources.” EPIC’s case is EPIC v. DOJ, No. 19-810 (D.D.C.). The book EPIC v. DOJ: The Mueller Report is available for purchase at the EPIC Bookstore.
EPIC Policy Director Caitriona Fitzgerald testified today before the Massachusetts Legislature in support of proposals to establish a state Commission to examine the use of “automated decision systems.” Under H2701 and S1876 a Commission will make recommendations to ensure the state’s use of algorithms is fair and transparent. EPIC supports algorithmic transparency and opposed systemic bias in "risk assessment" tools used in the criminal justice system. EPIC has filed Freedom of Information lawsuits to obtain information about "predictive policing" and "future crime prediction" algorithms. EPIC President Marc Rotenberg has called for laws that mandate algorithmic transparency and prohibit automated decision-making that results in discrimination.
