Residents’ opinions and values can help to shape boroughs’ ethical approaches to data use so LOTI recommends involving them in deliberations and consultations. These processes can vary immensely, depending on the need and resources of the organisation.
LOTI suggests that councils use the guidance produced by the Alan Turing Institute, which includes a description of when to engage residents in the timeline of a project (in summary: the design stage is best but any time is good!) and a guide on engagement methods.
For more detailed guidance on how to run deliberative processes, councils may like to consult the OECD’s resources on innovative citizen engagement, including its seminal Catching the Deliberative Wave report and various resources as part of its Deliberative Democracy Toolkit.
Camden Council (UK) used the process of a citizen jury complemented by resident surveys to inform how its data strategy might be created.
The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) and Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) used a deliberative public engagement exercise conducted by BritainThinks to design the UK Algorithmic Transparency Standard.
The city council in Portland, Oregon (USA) worked with other stakeholders, including the Office of Equity and Human Rights, to consult its residents on the creation of its policy on surveillance technologies.
