Slop Happens

Your ballot is secret. Your donation history isn't. Your voter registration isn't. And in the age of algorithmic profiling, the data trail you leave before you vote may matter more than the vote itself.In this episode of Slop Happens, Bianca and Claudio dig into something that doesn't get enough attention: not whether elections get hacked on election night, but how the data surrounding them gets weaponized long before anyone casts a ballot.We walk through how Dutch paper balloting actually works — volunteers, sealed packages, signed-off destruction orders — and why that transparency is the feature, not the bug. We revisit the Tascón List (from Episode 3) and what it tells us about petition signatures, donor records, and the permanent data trails that political acts leave behind.The uncomfortable question: if you signed a petition today, would you be comfortable with it surfacing in a background check ten years from now?Paper isn't a primitive fallback. It's tamper-proof by design.Paper, trust, and democracy — and why all three are harder than they look.

In the age of AI, it’s easy to forget that it doesn’t take sophisticated tech to build an instrument of power. In the 2000s, Venezuela gave the world a masterclass on how a simple, flat database could turn a petition into a tool of repression.In this episode of Slop Happens, we unravel the dark legacy of the Tascón List —a petition for a recall referendum that turned into a political blacklist that targeted the opposition. Fast-forward to today: could the misuse of personal data, voting records, or social profiles create modern versions of these lists? We break down the risks, safeguards, and what we must do to protect our society from history repeating itself.Is the same dynamic playing out today, with government funding and contracts being tied to political loyalty? Is there a risk to signing a public petition, if there’s no guarantee that the data ever really disappears?Bianca and Claudio talk about what it takes to weaponize civic data, how the US voter registration system already exposes your party affiliation, and why signing a public petition today is a decision you might be living with for decades.New technologies, age-old tactics.

In this second episode of Slop Happens, Bianca Prins and Claudio Luís Vera welcome Maranke Wierenga, advisor on data-driven work and member of the NEN Commission on AI & Big Data, where she also chairs the Working Group on Ethics and Fundamental Rights.Together, they explore curious cases where technology fails the people it’s meant to serve.First, they dive into the COMPAS case in Florida, where a risk-scoring system used in the justice system showed troubling bias across racial groups. The discussion looks at how “neutral” algorithms can reinforce inequalities already present in society.They then examine a case from the Netherlands, where automated parking enforcement unintentionally creates barriers for people with disabilities.What happens when efficient systems overlook real people? And how can we design technology that is fairer and more accountable?Join us for this conversation—and let us know what you think.

Claudio and Bianca welcome you to their new podcast, Slop Happens, and discuss the weirdness that happens when technology goes wrong.One evening, Claudio sees a trippy cloud with shining debris overhead. The next day, he discovers it was a SpaceX mission that exploded and rained debris down over Florida, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.SpaceX issues a tweet on X, treating the explosion as a teachable moment that offers lessons for long-term success. But as if that weren't weird enough, the debris is actually SpaceX property – even if it comes hurtling through your roof.