Boosting citizen engagement with security technologies
Security technologies – such as those designed to help citizens prepare for disasters or improve their cybersecurity – can boost social resilience and increase public safety. Yet without proper oversight, these technologies bring with them a range of potential ethical, social and political implications, and may even infringe human rights.
Integrating citizens into security technologies
In the EU-funded TRANSCEND project, researchers sought to address this by integrating citizens and civil society organisations (CSOs) into the design and deployment of security technologies. New methods designed to boost their involvement were developed, then tried and tested with the help of academics, industry stakeholders and government officials. “Involving citizens, CSOs and other societal stakeholders can bring enormous benefits to a project or to security research generally,” explains Georgina Anderson from Trilateral Research(opens in new window) and TRANSCEND project coordinator. “It facilitates a better understanding of societal concerns and interests, provides clarity on the problems security technologies are trying to solve, and aligns technology developers’ and citizens’ needs.”
Toolbox to boost citizen engagement
To create the TRANSCEND toolbox, the researchers first carried out a literature review to identify state-of-the-art citizen engagement methods and reviewed impact assessment methodologies used in other research and innovation projects. “We also determined how to integrate citizen engagement and impact assessment methods into the toolbox by piloting the methods across four security domains, engaging over 170 individuals and close to 20 CSOs,” notes Anderson. The team developed selection criteria to identify the most effective engagement methods for pilots, including: the potential for virtual, cultural, linguistic and geographic adaptation; the suitability for accommodating complex topics; and the promotion of open dialogue and discussion. They also created guidelines to target and ensure participation of specific groups and individuals. For cybersecurity, pilots explored how AI can enhance security and assist law enforcement, and how tools can address cyber abuse, and tested a platform for cross-border security. For disaster resilience, pilots involved citizen volunteers testing Team Österreich(opens in new window) (website in German), an app for disaster preparedness. TRANSCEND worked with the Austrian Red Cross through a series of focus groups and workshops, testing and adapting the mobile app for disaster resilience. Another pilot focused on fighting crime and terrorism, spurring dialogue between young people, local governments and law enforcement authorities about youth radicalisation. The fourth pilot on border management incorporated citizen perspectives on the digitisation of border control, focusing on the use of facial recognition in airports and how CSOs can represent citizens’ voices in security technology development.
Strengthening citizen engagement in security research
Beyond the toolbox(opens in new window), the project also created policy briefs(opens in new window) related to each security domain based on the pilot experiences, and set up the TRANSCEND network(opens in new window) comprising first responders, civil society and security technology end users, which will remain active going forward. Several TRANSCEND partners have already put the methods to use in other activities (e.g. the KOBAN)(opens in new window) project, and all plan to use and promote citizen engagement, the toolbox and impact assessment methods in their work in the future. “We are collaboratively exploring suitable funding opportunities to progress the work of TRANSCEND beyond its lifetime, possibly with a focus on strengthening CSO involvement in security technology research,” says Anderson. “We want to ensure that tomorrow’s security technologies are sensitive to, and informed by, citizens’ needs.”