In the text ‘Algorithms of Expressions’ by Safiya Noble, Noble analyzes on the schematics of algorithms and how its values shape the social reformations involving racial profiling. At first, Noble describes the schematics by introducing the concept of how algorithms exhibit a sense of visibility which is then perceived by the society in a decision-making way. Noble gave examples of those who were involved in the “decision making” by describing various professions such as bankers and real estate agents and how they manufacture inequalities in these fields. Noble gave an example by stating- “people of color are more likely to pay higher interest rates or premium just because they’re black or Latino” ( Safiya 1). This statement shows how the mobilization algorithms rather demarcate the border of inequality rather than allowing everyone, no matter their creed or race to flourish with their profound knowledge.  Noble continues her argument by stating that even on the internet, racial discrimination is evident through coding in technology. Personally, this hit me since it’s honestly crazy how people are finding ways to converse these unethical statements and put it out as an anonymous user. As technology seems to advance, the creation of artificial intelligence will also grasp onto these statements. As Noble describes the work field later, another aspect that stood out to me was Google’s wage gap between men and women. Now, prior to reading Noble’s text, I knew wage gaps existed, but I didn’t know that a multibillion-dollar company really discriminates its workers based on gender.  As google advances their technological field, its honestly shocking that google workers are supporting the insane claims made by James Damore of how women are inexperienced and inferior in terms of software programming. Using search engines to promote racial slurs is honestly disgusting and should be stopped right away

 

Jaspreet Jaswal