Amnesty investigated the functioning of the Social Card in the Balkan republic of Serbia. This method for social assessment was introduced there last year – with the support of the World Bank. The investigation found that the Roma community and people with disabilities are particularly severely affected by the use of this algorithm.
One of the disadvantages is that client-contact officials spend more time checking and entering data instead of having conversations with the client, it is stated.
The report raises questions about the worldwide use of algorithms in decision-making for social services. Amnesty emphasizes the need for transparency and ethics in such systems.
The Amnesty investigation describes, among other things, the case of a Roma mother whose social benefit was withdrawn because a charity organization had contributed to the funeral costs of her little daughter. In the Netherlands, cases are known where Social Services stopped or reduced benefits because a generous donor or a family member had 'given a bag of groceries.'
According to the investigation, many people lose track when they are subjected to computer-driven procedures, as was previously the case in the Netherlands with the childcare allowance cases. It appears that the algorithm makes socially vulnerable people even more vulnerable, rather than supporting them as originally intended.
The human rights organization calls on authorities to review the system and ensure that it is fair and just for all citizens, regardless of their background or disabilities.