News
LexisNexis Announces First Rule of Law Hackathon ‘Hack the Change’ in London to tackle LGBT* Rights Abuses Across the Globe
November 2016 by Marc Jacob
LexisNexis is delighted to announce Hack the Change: a series of hackathons that bring together legal experts and technology experts with a shared aim of advancing the rule of law around the world. Harnessing the collective force of up to 100 talented coders, developers, data scientists, mobile experts, game developers and other relevant experts across the legal and technology industries, Hack the Change aims to leverage technology to protect those who live outside of the umbrella of the rule of law.
Hack the Change is the first event of its kind in the UK and will begin at the Westminster Impact Hub on the 11th November 2016. An energetic 48 hours later, the winning team will be selected by a panel of judges from our partners, including event sponsors Amazon Web Services (AWS); LGBT* charity partner The Human Dignity Trust; and leading law firms including Freshfields, Hogan Lovells, and Osborne Clarke. Importantly, the Human Dignity Trust will take the winning concept forward to production following the event.
Experts from AWS invested in bringing the solution to life will be on hand throughout the 48 hours to offer technical support.
LexisNexis Hack the Change lead, Amy Carton, said “A staggering four billion people live outside the protection of the rule of law. In just one weekend, Hack the Change can help to improve that statistic and change people’s lives for the better. The LGBT* community are particularly at risk of abuse to their fundamental rights. We are proud that this inaugural event will be focussing on producing a tool to bring about a real impact in challenging this unacceptable situation.”
Téa Braun, Legal Director of the Human Dignity Trust said: “Laws that criminalise consensual same-sex intimacy not only invade into the most private aspects of one’s life, they tyrannise LGBT people’s very existence. They may be arrested, imprisoned or in some cases executed solely on the basis of their identity. These laws also foster generalised homophobia across societies, leading to physical attacks, rape, forced marriage, social exclusion, homelessness, and discrimination in education, employment, health services and housing. We are delighted that LexisNexis, and their collaborators, are so invested in making this important event happen, and we look forward to seeing the results.”
Ian Massingham, Chief Evangelist EMEA at AWS, said: “It is exciting for AWS to be part of a project that is using cloud computing to build technologies to help address an important issue for many people around the globe. We are looking forward to seeing what the hackathon participants are able to create on the AWS cloud, and supporting Hack the Change.”
The challenge will be announced on the 11th November. The winners will be announced on the 13th November and will receive prizes supplied by AWS.
