Case Studies
Consent or Compromise? The Hidden Costs of AI in Cervical Cancer Screening
Karen Yeates and Taim Saeed
In an era when AI holds a seemingly endless horizon of potential to revitalize underserved healthcare systems, is the race to develop it leading us to deprioritize the security of those systems and the rights of the patients within them?
Facebook’s Role in Rohingya Atrocities Underlines Big Tech’s Accountability Gap
Pat de Brún
Investigations have found that Meta, through its Facebook platform, played a role in the ethnic cleansing and persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar. But with access to justice for survivors of tech harms apparently blocked in the United States, what paths toward justice, accountability and remedy remain?
The Right to Repair in Canada: Advantages and Pitfalls
Natasha Tusikov
Despite Canada’s recent progress on right to repair laws, this case study argues that the questions of who has the right to repair and under what conditions remain core concerns for anyone who purchases and uses software-enabled devices.
Consent, Pay or Settle: Meta’s Struggle for Staying Profitable in the European Union
Lex Zard
Meta’s shift from the dual option of the “consent-or-pay” model to the triple option of personalized ads, subscription with no ads, and less personalized ads, highlights the challenges of balancing consumer privacy and profitability in digital markets.
Can the World Trade Organization Reduce Technological Inequality Among Nations?
Peter Carr
A rising inequality between developed and least developed countries (LDCs), as well as between LDCs themselves, has prompted the World Trade Organization to review the role of technology in this equation.
Martynka’s Refugee Support on Third-party Platforms Risks Data Security
Marika Jeziorek
Martynka is a digital platform created to provide legal aid and psychosocial support to Ukrainian refugee women. As Martynka continues to serve women refugees, it faces increasing pressure to balance real-time security needs, such as geolocation tracking, with data privacy concerns.
Can Real-Time Metrics Fill China’s Data Gap?
Danielle Goldfarb
Can AI and satellite images help governments and global institutions refute or confirm China’s official picture and gather more timely intelligence?
Spain’s Solar Gamble:
Lessons in Governance from a Policy Gone Wrong
Münür Sacit Herdem
This case study examines the experience of Spain’s solar PV policy from boom to bust and analyzes the gaps between the policy’s ambitious goals and its implementation.
The Challenges of Attributing Information Operation Attacks: The RRM Experience
Wesley Wark
In October 2023, the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), a unit of Global Affairs Canada, issued a rare public announcement, stating that dozens of Canadian members of Parliament (MPs) were targets of a disinformation campaign.
Wikipedia’s Governance Challenge: Policies and Guardrails for New Generative AI Technologies
Stephen Harrison
The Wikipedia editing community is struggling with the emergence of new generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs). Should the volunteer editors be permitted to use new generative AI tools?