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Tech·4/30/2026AI summary
When Algorithms Get It Wrong: My Court Case Against Gothenburg's School Allocation System
In 2020, Gothenburg deployed an algorithm to allocate school places but the system used 'crow flies' distances instead of actual walking routes, displacing around 700 children to schools miles from their homes across rivers. The author, a researcher and affected parent, sued the city but her case was dismissed because she couldn't access the algorithm's code to prove it was unlawful. She compares the case to the UK Post Office and Dutch childcare benefits scandals, arguing that procedural frameworks remain analogue while opaque algorithmic systems make life-altering decisions without accountability.
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Guardian Business