Blog

Election year 2024

10 Questions about AI and elections

2024 is an important election year. While citizens all over the world get ready to cast their ballot, many people worry about AI: Are chatbots and fake images a threat to democracy? Can we still trust what we see online? We explain why the hype around AI and elections is somewhat overblown and which real risks we need to watch out for instead.

Social Media

AlgorithmWatch CH ceases activities on X, formally known as Twitter

Starting today, AlgorithmWatch ceases publication on X/Twitter. The decision follows the continuous and rapid disintegration of the social network since its new owner took over a year ago.

Help us fight injustice in hiring!

Donate your CV to fight together against automated discrimination in job application procedures!

AlgorithmWatch CH becomes funding partner of Mercator Foundation Switzerland

Within the framework of a three-year strategic grant, Mercator Foundation Switzerland supports the core activities of AlgorithmWatch CH as an advocacy organization and allows for a sustainable organizational development.

AlgorithmWatch CH in Council of Europe Expert Group on AI in public administration

The Committee on Legal Cooperation (CDCJ) of the Council of Europe has established a working group on the topic of administrative law and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Angela Mueller, Head of AlgorithmWatch CH and Head of our Policy & Advocacy team, contributes as an expert to the group.

A heartfelt thank you! Anna Mätzener is leaving us

Anna Mätzener is leaving AlgorithmWatch Switzerland in the fall.

Facebook’s gutting of CrowdTangle: a step backward for platform transparency

Facebook is quietly dismantling CrowdTangle, a tool that academics, watchdog organizations and journalists rely on to expose disinformation and other problematic content on the platform. The move contradicts the company’s commitments to give researchers better access to data.

Solidarity with Ukraine

As an organization that defends human rights and democracy, we, the team of AlgorithmWatch and AlgorithmWatch Switzerland, stand in solidarity with Ukraine, the Ukrainian population and all Russians who do not support this war.

ADM in the Public Sector: The Workshop

AlgorithmWatch Switzerland was invited to give a workshop as part of an event series on AI & Ethics organised and presented by Swiss Digital Initiative (SDI). Together with participants from various backgrounds, we explored how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be applied to the public sector, where and in what forms such applications are already used and what questions should be asked when considering the use of AI in the public sector.

Let’s celebrate: One year AlgorithmWatch Switzerland!

Security tests on Swiss COVID certificate find 136 vulnerabilities, amid calls for further restrictions

The Swiss COVID certificate launched in June has undergone its first phase of internal and public security tests, and the results are in.

Swiss COVID-19 certificate system subjected to public security test and gradually implemented

Switzerland launched its own COVID-19 certificate system on June 7, both in paper and digital formats. Rollout will be gradual, and the system is expect to be fully functioning by the end of June.

Centralized check-in apps reignite debate around digital contact tracing in Switzerland

During the pandemic, the public as well as the private sector have worked on digital tools for contact tracing. Private companies developed a variety of check-in apps for venues such as restaurants, bars, and clubs. In contrast to the SwissCovid app, those check-in apps collected data through a centralized architecture. This form of data collection in combination with insufficient checks on the private companies' use of the data raises questions regarding citizens' privacy and data security.

Welcome to Switzerland, AlgorithmWatch!