The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information

Pasquale, Frank

ISBN 10: 0674368274 / ISBN 13: 9780674368279

Published by Harvard University Press, 2015

About this Item

Seller Inventory # mon0004120317

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674368274
• ISBN 13: 9780674368279
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

Every day, corporations are connecting the dots about our personal behavior―silently scrutinizing clues left behind by our work habits and Internet use. The data compiled and portraits created are incredibly detailed, to the point of being invasive. But who connects the dots about what firms are doing with this information? The Black Box Society argues that we all need to be able to do so―and to set limits on how big data affects our lives.

Hidden algorithms can make (or ruin) reputations, decide the destiny of entrepreneurs, or even devastate an entire economy. Shrouded in secrecy and complexity, decisions at major Silicon Valley and Wall Street firms were long assumed to be neutral and technical. But leaks, whistleblowers, and legal disputes have shed new light on automated judgment. Self-serving and reckless behavior is surprisingly common, and easy to hide in code protected by legal and real secrecy. Even after billions of dollars of fines have been levied, underfunded regulators may have only scratched the surface of this troubling behavior.

Frank Pasquale exposes how powerful interests abuse secrecy for profit and explains ways to rein them in. Demanding transparency is only the first step. An intelligible society would assure that key decisions of its most important firms are fair, nondiscriminatory, and open to criticism. Silicon Valley and Wall Street need to accept as much accountability as they impose on others.

About the Author

Frank Pasquale is Professor of Law at the University of Maryland, an Affiliate Fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project, and a member of the Council for Big Data, Ethics, and Society.