Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.
About usTenants Pay the Price
We wrote an issue brief analyzing the pitfalls of portable tenant screening reports and encouraging policymakers to address rental application fees by banning them altogether.
Read moreOur Work
We drive policy change by investigating specific ways that technology and automation shape people’s opportunities, particularly in marginalized communities. Without focused attention, technology can reinforce racial, economic, and social injustices found everywhere in our society. At the same time, discussions about technology often present new opportunities to change the status quo and reimagine what’s possible. Through research and advocacy, we seek transformative social change across a broad range of issues.
We pursue changes that reduce the reach of the criminal legal system and limit its immediate and collateral consequences on people’s lives.
We confront predatory practices and work to ensure that credit and other financial services are fair, affordable, and nondiscriminatory.
We aim to break down barriers to housing, especially in relation to digital records and tenant screening services used by landlords.
We work to ensure that technologies promote equity across the employment lifecycle, and that employers are held accountable for their use.
We push back against the use of surveillance tools and practices as one way to reduce the power of law enforcement and the carceral system.
We seek to expand the social safety net and improve access to programs like Medicaid, particularly in eligibility and benefits determinations.
We strive to lay a strong foundation to challenge automated decisions across our issues through empirical research, auditing, and legal advocacy.
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