An approach to adversarial research (Video-in)

Surya Mattu In today’s digital world social, economic, and racial
injustice lurks in the shadows of the unseen Facebook post, the
hidden algorithm used to sort employment resumes, and the risk
assessment tool used in criminal sentencing.  These systems
tend to be opaque and beyond scrutiny. Access is usually restricted
to large companies and governing bodies whose interests are often
unaligned with large parts of their customer base and citizens.
Much of the criticism of the technology industry tends to be
hypothetical or speculative because it can be very difficult to
measure the ways in which people are being harmed. The methods of
personalization that have transformed how we use the internet have
also obfuscated the disparate impact that takes place there. This
makes it significantly harder for those interested in regulation to
collect the evidence necessary to hold tech companies accountable.
It is possible to collect some of this information by harnessing
the network and communications infrastructure that the internet is
made up of. The data traveling through these systems tell
compelling stories if you know how to look for them. They also
often reflect systemic biases and prejudices prevalent in society.