Algorithms of Oppression

Data & Society

In "Algorithms of Oppression", Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color.

Through an analysis of textual and media searches as well as extensive research on paid online advertising, Noble exposes a culture of racism and sexism in the way discoverability is created online. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance—operating as a source for email, a major vehicle for primary and secondary school learning, and beyond—understanding and reversing these disquieting trends and discriminatory practices is of utmost importance.

Chapters

1. “Patterns of segregation manifest in the most simple things.” Lived experience and background for the book. (00:00:00)

2. Do companies know they’re discriminating? How do we grapple with discriminatory phenomena that predate the internet? (00:08:24)

3. How to articulate a total disassociation from makers of algorithms and their values before algorithm was a household term. (00:20:29)

4. Does internet search mirror our social world? Search engines are build on previous modes of organizing information. (00:27:25)

5. These technologies are biased and have political import, often exacerbating inequality profoundly. (00:32:26)