Research Catalog

Weapons of math destruction : how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy

Title
Weapons of math destruction : how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy / Cathy O'Neil.
Author
O'Neil, Cathy
Publication
New York : Crown, [2016]

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Details

Description
x, 259 pages; 22 cm
Summary
  • "A former Wall Street quantitative analyst sounds an alarm on mathematical modeling, a pervasive new force in society that threatens to undermine democracy and widen inequality,"--NoveList.
  • "We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives-- where we go to school, whether we get a car loan, how much we pay for health insurance--are being made not by humans, but by mathematical models. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: Everyone is judged according to the same rules, and bias is eliminated. But as Cathy O'Neil reveals in this urgent and necessary book, the opposite is true. The models being used today are opaque, unregulated, and uncontestable, even when they're wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination: If a poor student can't get a loan because a lending model deems him too risky (by virtue of his zip code), he's then cut off from the kind of education that could pull him out of poverty, and a vicious spiral ensues. Models are propping up the lucky and punishing the downtrodden, creating a 'toxic cocktail for democracy.' Welcome to the dark side of Big Data. Tracing the arc of a person's life, O'Neil exposes the black box models that shape our future, both as individuals and as a society. These 'weapons of math destruction' score teachers and students, sort résumés, grant (or deny) loans, evaluate workers, target voters, set parole, and monitor our health. O'Neil calls on modelers to take more responsibility for their algorithms and on policy makers to regulate their use. But in the end, it's up to us to become more savvy about the models that govern our lives. This important book empowers us to ask the tough questions, uncover the truth, and demand change."--Dust jacket.
Subjects
Note
  • Includes index.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents
Bomb parts : what is a model? -- Shell shocked : my journey of disillusionment -- Arms race : going to college -- Propaganda machine : online advertising -- Civilian casualties : justice in the age of big data -- Ineligible to serve : getting a job -- Sweating bullets : on the job -- Collateral damage : landing credit -- No safe zone : getting insurance -- The targeted citizen : civic life.
Call Number
JFD 17-3534
ISBN
  • 9780553418811 (hardcover)
  • 0553418815 (hardcover)
  • 9780553418835 (softcover)
  • 0553418831 (softcover)
LCCN
2016003900
OCLC
932385614
Author
O'Neil, Cathy, author.
Title
Weapons of math destruction : how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy / Cathy O'Neil.
Publisher
New York : Crown, [2016]
Edition
First edition.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Research Call Number
JFD 17-3534
JFC 16-5135
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