Algorithms of Oppression [Book Review

Abstract

The book is a well-researched analysis of what the author names, technological redefining. The author describes, and illustrates, how discrimination is “embedded in computer code and, increasingly, in artificial intelligence technologies that we are reliant on, by choice or not.” The book’s publication is particularly timely, given recent focused attention on the societal impact of technology companies, including related to election hacking, consumer privacy, and the psychological effect of social networks. The text is well-illustrated with screenshots from searches that reveal the embedded racism of the Internet. For example, deep machine learning, which is using algorithms to replicate human thinking, is predicated on specific values from specific kinds of people — namely, the most powerful institutions in society and those who control them.” Since Google derives much of its income from advertising, the ranking of search engine results is explicitly skewed to favor advertisers and not consumers. Many users have difficulty distinguishing between paid advertising and organic search results. The author argues that the harmful effects of digital media in real life necessitate an increase in government regulation.