Tracking Real Algorithmic Harms in California as CCPA Obligations Near

As part of our project Assessing the Assessments—supported by the Rose Foundation—EPIC will endeavor to track instances of specific AI harms relevant to enforcement of the California Consumer Privacy Act. These instances are listed below with the setting and application of the system, a real example of that harm happening, and what types of harm are done. 

This system draws on two taxonomies of AI harms to describe the types of harms done: 

1. Danielle Citron’s and Daniel Solove’s Typology of Privacy Harms, comprising physical, economic, reputational, psychological, autonomy, discrimination, and relationship harms; and 
2. Joy Buolamwini’s Taxonomy of Algorithmic Harms, comprising loss of opportunity, economic loss, and social stigmatization, including loss of liberty, increased surveillance, stereotype reinforcement, and other dignitary harms. 

These taxonomies do not necessarily cover all potential AI harms, and our use of these taxonomies is meant to help readers visualize and contextualize AI harms without limiting the types and variety of AI harms that readers consider.

While these examples are focused on California, examples of the effects of an AI system in one jurisdiction will often apply to other states and countries as well.