Abstract
A commentary on
A “Source” of Error: Computer Code, Criminal Defendants, and the Constitution
by Chessman, C. (2017). Calif. Law Rev. 105, 101–193.
Chessman (2017) warns of the current trend to admit into court unchallenged the results of
complex computerized calculations. He provides a number of examples and arguments claimed
to demonstrate the need for open source software to remove the “black box” element. We agree
with parts of this sentiment, and the topic of this special issue, that there is a danger with those
using and receiving information from black box systems. Some care however is needed with simple diagnoses and prescriptions such as these.
A “Source” of Error: Computer Code, Criminal Defendants, and the Constitution
by Chessman, C. (2017). Calif. Law Rev. 105, 101–193.
Chessman (2017) warns of the current trend to admit into court unchallenged the results of
complex computerized calculations. He provides a number of examples and arguments claimed
to demonstrate the need for open source software to remove the “black box” element. We agree
with parts of this sentiment, and the topic of this special issue, that there is a danger with those
using and receiving information from black box systems. Some care however is needed with simple diagnoses and prescriptions such as these.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 33 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Frontiers in Genetics |
Volume | 8 |
DOIs |
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Publication status | Published - 15 Mar 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2017 Taylor, Bright and Buckleton. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Keywords
- Closed source
- Court challenge
- DNA profile interpretation
- Source code
- STRmix