178:, examining search results from 2009 to 2015. The book addresses the relationship between search engines and discriminatory biases. Noble argues that search algorithms are racist and perpetuate societal problems because they reflect the negative biases that exist in society and the people who create them. Noble dismantles the idea that search engines are inherently neutral by explaining how algorithms in search engines privilege whiteness by depicting positive cues when key words like “white” are searched as opposed to “asian,” “hispanic,” or “Black.” Her main example surrounds the search results of "Black girls" versus "white girls" and the biases that are depicted in the results. These algorithms can then have negative biases against
187:
how their distinct backgrounds affect their struggles. Additionally, Noble's argument addresses how racism infiltrates the google algorithm itself, something that is true throughout many coding systems including facial recognition, and medical care programs. While many new technological systems promote themselves as progressive and unbiased, Noble is arguing against this point and saying that many technologies, including google's algorithm "reflect and reproduce existing inequities."
341:
battle to change the
Library's terminology from 'illegal aliens' to 'noncitizen' or 'unauthorised immigrants.' Noble later discusses the problems that ensue from misrepresentation and classification which allows her to enforce the importance of contextualisation. Noble argues that it is not just google, but all digital search engines that reinforce societal structures and discriminatory biases and by doing so she points out just how interconnected technology and society are.
312:
privacy laws to those of the
European Union, which provides citizens with “the right to forget or be forgotten.” When utilizing search engines such as Google, these breaches of privacy disproportionately affect women and people of color. Google claims that they safeguard our data in order to protect us from losing our information, but fails to address what happens when you want your data to be deleted.
237:
relevant to the search query taking place. An advertiser can also set a maximum amount of money per day to spend on advertising. The more you spend on ads, the higher probability your ad will be closer to the top. Therefore, if an advertiser is passionate about his/her topic but it is controversial it may be the first to appear on a Google search.
361:. She first argues that public policies enacted by local and federal governments will reduce Google's “information monopoly” and regulate the ways in which search engines filter their results. She insists that governments and corporations bear the most responsibility to reform the systemic issues leading to algorithmic bias.
27:
856:
Noble's main focus is on Google’s algorithms, although she also discusses Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress. She invests in the control over what users see and don't see. "Search results reflects the values and norms of the search companies commercial partners and advertisers and often reflect
186:
Noble takes a Black intersectional feminist approach to her work in studying how google algorithms affect people differently by race and gender. Intersectional
Feminism takes into account the diverse experiences of women of different races and sexualities when discussing their oppression society, and
182:
and other marginalized populations, while also affecting
Internet users in general by leading to "racial and gender profiling, misrepresentation, and even economic redlining." The book argues that algorithms perpetuate oppression and discriminate against People of Color, specifically women of color.
262:
has maintained social inequalities and stereotypes for Black, Latina, and Asian women, mostly due in part to Google's design and infrastructure that normalizes whiteness and men. She explains that the Google algorithm categorizes information which exacerbates stereotypes while also encouraging white
340:
and other societal standards as correct, and alternatives as problematic. She explains this problem by discussing a case between
Dartmouth College and the Library of Congress where "student-led organization the Coalition for Immigration Reform, Equality (CoFired) and DREAMers" engaged in a two-year
224:
Noble also discusses how Google can remove the human curation from the first page of results to eliminate any potential racial slurs or inappropriate imaging. Another example discussed in this text is a public dispute of the results that were returned when “Jew” was searched on Google. The results
154:
degree in the early 2000s. The book's first inspiration came in 2011, when Noble
Googled the phrase "black girls" and saw results for pornography on the first page. Noble's doctoral thesis, completed in 2012, was titled "Searching for Black girls: Old traditions in new media." At this time, Noble
263:
hegemonic norms. Noble found that after searching for black girls, the first search results were common stereotypes of black girls, or the categories that Google created based on their own idea of a black girl. Google hides behind their algorithm that has been proven to perpetuate inequalities.
212:
search's auto suggestion feature is demoralizing. On
September 18, 2011, a mother googled “black girls” attempting to find fun activities to show her stepdaughter and nieces. To her surprise, the results encompassed websites and images of porn. This result encloses the data failures specific to
311:
has oppressive control over identity. This chapter highlights multiple examples of women being shamed due to their activity in the porn industry, regardless if it was consensual or not. She critiques the internet's ability to influence one's future due to its permanent nature and compares U.S.
236:
Noble reflects on AdWords which is Google's advertising tool and how this tool can add to the biases on Google. Adwords allows anyone to advertise on Google's search pages and is highly customizable. First, Google ranks ads on relevance and then displays the ads on pages which it believes are
432:
searches and our search patterns online. Noble challenges the idea of the internet being a fully democratic or post-racial environment. Each chapter examines different layers to the algorithmic biases formed by search engines. By outlining crucial points and theories throughout the book,
459:
writes, "What emerges from these pages is the sense that Google’s algorithms of oppression comprise just one of the hidden infrastructures that govern our daily lives, and that the others are likely just as hard-coded with white supremacy and misogyny as the one that Noble explores." In
376:
optimism,” or a failure to challenge the notion that the institutions themselves do not always solve, but sometimes perpetuate inequalities. To illustrate this point, she uses the example of Kandis, a Black hairdresser whose business faces setbacks because the review site
155:
thought of the title "Algorithms of
Oppression" for the eventual book. By this time, changes to Google's algorithm had changed the most common results for a search of "black girls," though the underlying biases remain influential. Noble became an assistant professor at
497:
expressed criticism of the book, saying that the results of a Google search suggested in its blurb did not match Noble's predictions. IEEE's outreach historian, Alexander Magoun, later revealed that he had not read the book, and issued an apology.
475:, are not simply imperfect machines, but systems designed by humans in ways that replicate the power structures of the western countries where they are built, complete with all the sexism and racism that are built into those structures." In
257:
has exacerbated racism and how they continue to deny responsibility for it. Google puts the blame on those who have created the content and as well as those who are actively seeking this information. Google's
283:. Noble highlights that the sources and information that were found after the search pointed to conservative sources that skewed information. These sources displayed racist and anti-black information from
408:” ideologies toward race because it has historically erased the struggles faced by racial minorities. Lastly, she points out that big-data optimism leaves out discussion about the harms that
279:
discusses how Google's search engine combines multiple sources to create threatening narratives about minorities. She explains a case study where she searched “black on white crimes” on
229:
pages and Google claimed little ownership for the way it provided these identities. Google instead encouraged people to use “Jews” or “Jewish people” and claimed the actions of
739:
482:
reviewer Lesley
Williams states, "Noble’s study should prompt some soul-searching about our reliance on commercial search engines and about digital social equity."
372:. She calls this argument “complacent” because it places responsibility on individuals, who have less power than media companies, and indulges a mindset she calls “
1219:
688:
857:
our lowest and most demeaning beliefs, because these ideas circulate so freely and so often that they are normalized and extremely profitable." (Nobel, 36)
637:
328:
moves the discussion away from google and onto other information sources deemed credible and neutral. Noble says that prominent libraries, including the
494:
585:
773:
1181:
1132:
1083:
1034:
1195:
870:
233:
groups are out of Google's control. Unless pages are unlawful, Google will allow its algorithm to continue to act without removing pages.
151:
1288:
1278:
1253:
147:
1157:
1108:
1059:
982:
927:
672:
156:
112:
743:
1283:
794:
337:
143:
437:
is not limited to only academic readers. This allows for Noble's writing to reach a wider and more inclusive audience.
221:
lens, with racial awareness to understand the “problematic positions about the benign instrumentality of technologies.”
535:
1010:
385:
160:
287:
sources. Ultimately, she believes this readily-available, false information fueled the actions of white supremacist
1268:
1263:
609:
1273:
890:
368:
argument that algorithmic biases will disappear if more women and racial minorities enter the industry as
451:
765:
1221:
Algorithms of
Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, by Safiya Umoja Noble | Booklist Online
333:
1196:"Ideologies of Boring Things: The Internet and Infrastructures of Race - Los Angeles Review of Books"
389:
561:
713:"a book review by Robert Fantina: Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism"
146:
in the 1990s, then worked in advertising and marketing for fifteen years before going to the
369:
712:
159:
in 2014. In 2017, she published an article on racist and sexist bias in search engines in
8:
1258:
329:
689:"In 'Algorithms of Oppression,' Safiya Noble finds old stereotypes persist in new media"
130:
in the fields of information science, machine learning, and human-computer interaction.
1175:
1126:
1077:
1028:
839:
811:
1163:
1153:
1114:
1104:
1065:
1055:
1016:
1006:
978:
923:
843:
831:
812:"Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya Umoja Noble"
740:"Safiya Umoja Noble Receives Top Honor from Fresno State | UCLA GSE&IS Ampersand"
668:
405:
284:
107:
823:
507:
358:
214:
662:
456:
230:
891:"Can an algorithm be racist? Spotting systemic oppression in the age of Google"
179:
1118:
1247:
1167:
1069:
1020:
835:
586:"Opinion | Noah Berlatsky: How search algorithms reinforce racism and sexism"
381:
has used biased advertising practices and searching strategies against her.
365:
280:
92:
1238:
1098:
425:
354:
325:
304:
276:
250:
226:
205:
127:
40:
26:
1147:
1049:
947:. MIT Press. pp. The Power Chapter 1: The Power Chapter (pgs 21-47).
288:
174:
is a text based on over six years of academic research on Google search
462:
428:
explores the social and political implications of the results from our
397:
401:
259:
175:
139:
82:
871:"Scholar sets off Twitter furor by critiquing a book he hasn't read"
1149:
Algorithms of oppression : how search engines reinforce racism
1100:
Algorithms of oppression : how search engines reinforce racism
1003:
Algorithms of oppression : how search engines reinforce racism
827:
512:
477:
409:
373:
218:
661:
Jessie, Daniels; Karen, Gregory; Cottom, Tressie McMillan (2017).
490:
404:
rhetoric on the Internet. She urges the public to shy away from “
922:. New York, NY, US: New York University Press. pp. Ch. 2.
472:
429:
393:
308:
254:
209:
960:
Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code
1239:
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
1051:
Algorithms of oppression: how search engines reinforce racism
975:
Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism
920:
Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism
123:
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
977:. New York, NY, US: New York University Press. p. 230.
378:
412:
can disproportionately enact upon minority communities.
392:(FTC) to “regulate decency,” or to limit the amount of
536:"Don't Google It! How Search Engines Reinforce Racism"
307:
furthers her argument by discussing the way in which
471:"demonstrate that search engines, and in particular
1000:
217:. Noble also adds that as a society we must have a
660:
495:Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
1245:
562:"Coded prejudice: how algorithms fuel injustice"
357:discusses possible solutions for the problem of
163:. The book was published on February 20, 2018.
942:
610:"How search engines are making us more racist"
213:people of color and women which Noble coins
489:received press attention when the official
384:She closes the chapter by calling upon the
1180:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
1131:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
1082:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
1033:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
364:Simultaneously, Noble condemns the common
25:
796:ALGORITHMS OF OPPRESSION | Kirkus Reviews
152:Master of Library and Information Science
1146:Noble, Safiya Umoja (20 February 2018).
1048:Noble, Safiya Umoja (20 February 2018).
1001:Noble, Safiya Umoja (20 February 2018).
957:
138:Noble earned an undergraduate degree in
148:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
1246:
809:
1145:
1096:
1047:
996:
994:
972:
917:
913:
911:
865:
863:
763:
635:
440:
157:University of California, Los Angeles
734:
732:
631:
629:
559:
530:
528:
190:
766:"Google and the Misinformed Public"
144:California State University, Fresno
13:
991:
908:
860:
449:has been largely positive. In the
14:
1300:
1232:
962:. Medford, MA: Polity. p. 3.
943:D’Ignazio, C.; Klein, L. (2019).
729:
626:
525:
386:Federal Communications Commission
161:The Chronicle of Higher Education
1289:New York University Press books
1212:
1188:
1139:
1090:
1041:
966:
951:
936:
883:
850:
803:
787:
776:from the original on 2020-07-23
764:Noble, Safiya U. (2017-01-15).
757:
560:Fine, Cordelia (7 March 2018).
16:2018 book by Safiya Umoja Noble
1254:Books about race and ethnicity
1005:. New York. pp. 134–135.
810:Erigha, Maryann (2019-07-01).
705:
681:
654:
602:
578:
553:
1:
816:American Journal of Sociology
667:. Policy Press. p. 420.
518:
415:
133:
1097:Noble, Safiya Umoja (2018).
742:. 2019-02-07. Archived from
636:Munro, Donald (2018-04-19).
344:
315:
294:
266:
240:
195:
7:
1284:Machine learning algorithms
1200:Los Angeles Review of Books
638:"When Google gets it wrong"
501:
452:Los Angeles Review of Books
291:, who committed a massacre
166:
10:
1305:
1279:Human–computer interaction
1103:. New York. p. 121.
1054:. New York. p. 112.
467:Hans Rollman writes that
106:
98:
88:
78:
70:
62:
54:
46:
36:
24:
20:Algorithms of Oppression
717:www.nyjournalofbooks.com
487:Algorithms of Oppression
485:In early February 2018,
469:Algorithms of Oppression
447:Algorithms of Oppression
435:Algorithms of Oppression
422:Algorithms of Oppression
390:Federal Trade Commission
351:Algorithms of Oppression
322:Algorithms of Oppression
301:Algorithms of Oppression
273:Algorithms of Oppression
247:Algorithms of Oppression
202:Algorithms of Oppression
172:Algorithms of Oppression
445:Critical reception for
332:, encourage whiteness,
1269:English-language books
1264:2018 non-fiction books
973:Noble, Safiya (2018).
918:Noble, Safiya (2018).
215:algorithmic oppression
958:Benjamin, R. (2019).
225:included a number of
1274:Information science
664:Digital Sociologies
330:Library of Congress
21:
441:Critical reception
370:software engineers
128:Safiya Umoja Noble
126:is a 2018 book by
58:Racism, algorithms
19:
1159:978-1-4798-3724-3
1110:978-1-4798-3364-1
1061:978-1-4798-3724-3
984:978-1-4798-3364-1
929:978-1-4798-3364-1
770:www.chronicle.com
693:annenberg.usc.edu
674:978-1-4473-2901-5
334:heteronormativity
285:white supremacist
231:White supremacist
191:Chapter Summaries
119:
118:
113:978-1-4798-4994-9
89:Publication place
1296:
1226:
1225:
1216:
1210:
1209:
1207:
1206:
1192:
1186:
1185:
1179:
1171:
1143:
1137:
1136:
1130:
1122:
1094:
1088:
1087:
1081:
1073:
1045:
1039:
1038:
1032:
1024:
998:
989:
988:
970:
964:
963:
955:
949:
948:
940:
934:
933:
915:
906:
905:
903:
902:
887:
881:
880:
878:
877:
867:
858:
854:
848:
847:
807:
801:
800:
791:
785:
784:
782:
781:
761:
755:
754:
752:
751:
736:
727:
726:
724:
723:
709:
703:
702:
700:
699:
685:
679:
678:
658:
652:
651:
649:
648:
642:THE MUNRO REVIEW
633:
624:
623:
621:
620:
606:
600:
599:
597:
596:
582:
576:
575:
573:
572:
557:
551:
550:
548:
547:
532:
508:Algorithmic bias
493:account for the
359:algorithmic bias
349:In Chapter 6 of
320:In Chapter 5 of
299:In Chapter 4 of
271:In Chapter 3 of
245:In Chapter 2 of
200:In Chapter 1 of
29:
22:
18:
1304:
1303:
1299:
1298:
1297:
1295:
1294:
1293:
1244:
1243:
1235:
1230:
1229:
1218:
1217:
1213:
1204:
1202:
1194:
1193:
1189:
1173:
1172:
1160:
1144:
1140:
1124:
1123:
1111:
1095:
1091:
1075:
1074:
1062:
1046:
1042:
1026:
1025:
1013:
999:
992:
985:
971:
967:
956:
952:
941:
937:
930:
916:
909:
900:
898:
889:
888:
884:
875:
873:
869:
868:
861:
855:
851:
808:
804:
793:
792:
788:
779:
777:
762:
758:
749:
747:
738:
737:
730:
721:
719:
711:
710:
706:
697:
695:
687:
686:
682:
675:
659:
655:
646:
644:
634:
627:
618:
616:
608:
607:
603:
594:
592:
584:
583:
579:
570:
568:
566:Financial Times
558:
554:
545:
543:
534:
533:
526:
521:
504:
457:Emily Drabinski
443:
418:
347:
318:
297:
269:
243:
198:
193:
169:
136:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1302:
1292:
1291:
1286:
1281:
1276:
1271:
1266:
1261:
1256:
1242:
1241:
1234:
1233:External links
1231:
1228:
1227:
1211:
1187:
1158:
1138:
1109:
1089:
1060:
1040:
1011:
990:
983:
965:
950:
935:
928:
907:
895:Digital Trends
882:
859:
849:
828:10.1086/703431
822:(1): 305–307.
802:
786:
756:
728:
704:
680:
673:
653:
625:
601:
577:
552:
523:
522:
520:
517:
516:
515:
510:
503:
500:
442:
439:
417:
414:
388:(FCC) and the
346:
343:
317:
314:
296:
293:
268:
265:
253:explains that
242:
239:
197:
194:
192:
189:
180:women of color
168:
165:
135:
132:
117:
116:
110:
104:
103:
100:
96:
95:
90:
86:
85:
80:
76:
75:
72:
68:
67:
64:
60:
59:
56:
52:
51:
48:
44:
43:
38:
34:
33:
30:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1301:
1290:
1287:
1285:
1282:
1280:
1277:
1275:
1272:
1270:
1267:
1265:
1262:
1260:
1257:
1255:
1252:
1251:
1249:
1240:
1237:
1236:
1223:
1222:
1215:
1201:
1197:
1191:
1183:
1177:
1169:
1165:
1161:
1155:
1151:
1150:
1142:
1134:
1128:
1120:
1116:
1112:
1106:
1102:
1101:
1093:
1085:
1079:
1071:
1067:
1063:
1057:
1053:
1052:
1044:
1036:
1030:
1022:
1018:
1014:
1012:9781479837243
1008:
1004:
997:
995:
986:
980:
976:
969:
961:
954:
946:
945:Data Feminism
939:
931:
925:
921:
914:
912:
896:
892:
886:
872:
866:
864:
853:
845:
841:
837:
833:
829:
825:
821:
817:
813:
806:
798:
797:
790:
775:
771:
767:
760:
746:on 2019-02-07
745:
741:
735:
733:
718:
714:
708:
694:
690:
684:
676:
670:
666:
665:
657:
643:
639:
632:
630:
615:
611:
605:
591:
587:
581:
567:
563:
556:
541:
537:
531:
529:
524:
514:
511:
509:
506:
505:
499:
496:
492:
488:
483:
481:
479:
474:
470:
466:
464:
458:
454:
453:
448:
438:
436:
431:
427:
423:
413:
411:
407:
403:
399:
395:
391:
387:
382:
380:
375:
371:
367:
362:
360:
356:
352:
342:
339:
335:
331:
327:
323:
313:
310:
306:
302:
292:
290:
286:
282:
278:
274:
264:
261:
256:
252:
248:
238:
234:
232:
228:
222:
220:
216:
211:
208:explores how
207:
203:
188:
184:
181:
177:
173:
164:
162:
158:
153:
149:
145:
141:
131:
129:
125:
124:
114:
111:
109:
105:
101:
97:
94:
93:United States
91:
87:
84:
81:
77:
74:February 2018
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
42:
39:
35:
31:First edition
28:
23:
1220:
1214:
1203:. Retrieved
1199:
1190:
1152:. New York.
1148:
1141:
1099:
1092:
1050:
1043:
1002:
974:
968:
959:
953:
944:
938:
919:
899:. Retrieved
897:. 2018-03-03
894:
885:
874:. Retrieved
852:
819:
815:
805:
795:
789:
778:. Retrieved
769:
759:
748:. Retrieved
744:the original
720:. Retrieved
716:
707:
696:. Retrieved
692:
683:
663:
656:
645:. Retrieved
641:
617:. Retrieved
613:
604:
593:. Retrieved
589:
580:
569:. Retrieved
565:
555:
544:. Retrieved
542:. 2018-01-30
539:
486:
484:
476:
468:
461:
450:
446:
444:
434:
426:Safiya Noble
421:
419:
383:
363:
355:Safiya Noble
350:
348:
321:
319:
300:
298:
277:Safiya Noble
272:
270:
246:
244:
235:
227:anti-Semitic
223:
206:Safiya Noble
201:
199:
185:
171:
170:
137:
122:
121:
120:
41:Safiya Noble
289:Dylann Roof
115:(Hardcover)
66:Non-fiction
1259:Algorithms
1248:Categories
1205:2018-03-24
1119:1017736697
901:2018-03-24
876:2018-02-08
780:2021-10-05
750:2021-10-05
722:2021-10-05
698:2021-10-05
647:2021-10-05
619:2018-05-10
595:2018-05-10
571:2018-05-10
546:2018-03-24
540:PopMatters
519:References
463:PopMatters
416:Conclusion
406:colorblind
402:prejudiced
398:homophobic
366:neoliberal
338:patriarchy
176:algorithms
134:Background
1176:cite book
1168:987591529
1127:cite book
1078:cite book
1070:987591529
1029:cite book
1021:987591529
844:198603932
836:0002-9602
345:Chapter 6
316:Chapter 5
295:Chapter 4
267:Chapter 3
260:algorithm
241:Chapter 2
196:Chapter 1
140:sociology
83:NYU Press
79:Publisher
71:Published
774:Archived
590:NBC News
513:Techlash
502:See also
478:Booklist
410:big data
374:big-data
219:feminist
167:Overview
47:Language
491:Twitter
55:Subject
50:English
1166:
1156:
1117:
1107:
1068:
1058:
1019:
1009:
981:
926:
842:
834:
671:
473:Google
430:Google
394:racist
309:Google
281:Google
255:Google
210:Google
150:for a
102:256 pp
37:Author
840:S2CID
400:, or
326:Noble
305:Noble
251:Noble
142:from
99:Pages
63:Genre
1182:link
1164:OCLC
1154:ISBN
1133:link
1115:OCLC
1105:ISBN
1084:link
1066:OCLC
1056:ISBN
1035:link
1017:OCLC
1007:ISBN
979:ISBN
924:ISBN
832:ISSN
669:ISBN
379:Yelp
108:ISBN
824:doi
820:125
614:Vox
420:In
1250::
1198:.
1178:}}
1174:{{
1162:.
1129:}}
1125:{{
1113:.
1080:}}
1076:{{
1064:.
1031:}}
1027:{{
1015:.
993:^
910:^
893:.
862:^
838:.
830:.
818:.
814:.
772:.
768:.
731:^
715:.
691:.
640:.
628:^
612:.
588:.
564:.
538:.
527:^
455:,
424:,
396:,
353:,
336:,
324:,
303:,
275:,
249:,
204:,
1224:.
1208:.
1184:)
1170:.
1135:)
1121:.
1086:)
1072:.
1037:)
1023:.
987:.
932:.
904:.
879:.
846:.
826::
799:.
783:.
753:.
725:.
701:.
677:.
650:.
622:.
598:.
574:.
549:.
480:,
465:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
