Keep Me Posted is a podcast about the intersection of race, rights, democracy and justice in the digital age.

As the use of surveillance technologies continues to rise, our day-to-day lives continue to be affected, from education to employment, web searches to doorbells. Countless studies have shown that surveillance technologies are inherently biased and discriminatory, and that's especially true for people with disabilities.

This week's guest, Azza Altiraifi, is a disabled organizer and researcher, and Senior Program Manager at a progressive economic messaging organization. Previously, Azza was a research and advocacy manager at the Center for American Progress's disability policy initiative, where she spearheaded advocacy campaigns, as well as researched and published articles on mental health policy, surveillance and advancing economic security for disabled people.

Keep Me Posted is a podcast about the intersection of race, rights, democracy and justice in the digital age.

State governments are increasingly relying on AI tools and systems to determine whether people qualify for public benefits and to what extent they receive them. For people with disabilities, this can mean losing critical support without warning or explanation. Algorithms are designed to make decisions based on patterns, but disabilities are diverse, nuanced and sometimes not even physically apparent.

This week's guest, lydia x.z. brown, is a policy counsel with the Center for Democracy and Technology's Privacy and Data Project, focused on disability rights and algorithmic fairness and justice. Their work is investigated algorithmic harm and injustice in public benefits determinations, hiring algorithms and algorithmic surveillance that disproportionately impact disabled people — particularly multiply marginalized, disabled people.

Keep Me Posted is a podcast about the intersection of race, rights, democracy and justice in the digital age.

In recent years, more and more companies — big and small — have deployed AI powered tools in the workplace. While these tools are ostensibly intended to make hiring and supervising workers easier for managers, there's tremendous risk of discrimination embedded within what is effectively automated surveillance technology. The harms of algorithmic bias, the systematic discrimination born of artificial intelligence software are becoming more well-known. What is less familiar are the deep systemic harms AI can have on people with disabilities.

This week's guest, Alex Givens, is the president and CEO at the Center for Democracy and Technology, which works to promote democratic values by shaping technology policy and architecture. Alex is an advocate for using technology to increase equality, amplify voices and promote human rights.