Communications of the ACM
Child Abuse Algorithms: From Science Fiction to Cost-Cutting Reality
At least five local councils in the U.K. have developed or implemented a predictive analytics system to safeguard children.
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Local authorities in the U.K., facing spiraling demand for children's services, are beginning to ask whether big data could help to identify vulnerable children.
Bristol is one place experimenting with these new capabilities. "It's demonstrating the behavioral characteristics of being exploited or going missing," says Gary Davies, who oversees the council's predictive system. "It's flagging up that risk and vulnerability."
Such techniques have worked in other areas for years. Machine learning systems mine personal data to assess how likely individuals are to default on a loan, or how much risk they pose to an insurance provider.
The Guardian obtained details of all predictive indicators considered for inclusion in Thurrock council's child safeguarding system. They include history of domestic abuse, youth offending, and truancy.
"Can we get to a point where we've got a system that gets that balance right between protecting the vulnerable and protecting the rights of the many?" says Wajid Shafiq, chief executive of Xantura, the company providing predictive analytics work to Thurrock and Hackney. "It must be possible to do that, because if we can't we're letting down people who are vulnerable."
From The Guardian
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