Sphere transgressions in the Dutch digital welfare state: causing harm to citizens when legal rules, ethical norms and quality procedures are lacking

Welfare states across the world increasingly experiment with the use of big data and algorithms in the name of efficiency gains and fair decision-making. However, recent public scandals in various countries show persistent problems with how digital welfare states operate at the cost of vulnerable populations. Problems include systemic forms of discrimination, increasing levels of surveillance, stigmatization, and restricted access to public benefits. Rather than viewing these problems as instances of technical implementation hurdles, we argue that digital welfare states currently operate in an institutional void in which legal, ethical, and quality procedures are lacking or ill equipped to address new challenges posed by digital technologies.