Who is the algorithmic “you”?
How is your data being manipulated to shape your digital opportunities, interactions, and everyday life?
This toolkit is comprised of archived educational Instagram posts. We designed these posts as bite-sized lessons and inquiries dealing with various topics in critical algorithm studies. Subjects range from social media, digital protesting, contact-tracing apps, policing, and teleworking software.
canada’s covid-19 alert app
In late July 2020, the federal government released the “COVID ALERT” app for Android and iPhone users. The app uses Bluetooth connection to notify people when they have been in close proximity to someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. The app is currently being tested in Ontario before being introduced to other provinces and…
bridget todd podcast
A team recommendation: There Are No Girls On the Internet is a podcast hosted by @bridgetmarieindc that the Algorithmic You team has been really digging! The podcast focuses on highlighting the often hidden histories and contributions of women, Black folks, and People of Colour on the Internet. In this post, we offer a brief visual…
amazon’s facial recognition software
In 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California performed a test using Amazon’s “Rekognition” software, comparing the faces of 435 US Congress members to mugshots in a public database. The software incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress to the mugshots, and thus misidentified them as other people who had been arrested for a…
a guide to virtual allyship and algorithms
Social media has been critical in sharing important resources for the Black Lives Matter movement. But sometimes good intentions (particularly if you are an ally) can produce unintended negative consequences on social media. Check out our guide on virtual allyship & algorithms to consider some important questions before participating in a social media campaign (throwback…
race after technology by ruha benjamin
In continuation of our previous post on Black Writers in Technology, we are currently working our way through “Race After Technology” by Ruha Benjamin. This quote taken from early on in the book and is representative of Benjamin’s larger discussion about the “New Jim Code” laws. Benjamin uses this concept to examine the range of…
the algorithmic you book club
We’ve put together a collection of books exploring anti-Black racism and Black experiences in technology. Over the next month, as we make our way through these books, we’ll be posting summaries and key quotes from each book to this page — we hope you’ll join us! We have prioritized books written by Black authors, covering…
they know us better than we know ourselves
We leave traces of ourselves everywhere we go on the Internet. Social media platforms gather information about us – from our political opinions and entertainment choices, to the restaurants we go to and who we spend time with. This ability to categorize you into a certain type of consumer, an ‘algorithmic you’, if you will…
we rely on algorithms more than ever
Between Zoom lunch dates, virtual workplaces, and Netflix party nights, it’s become more clear than ever that we rely on digital algorithms. But how many of us actually know what algorithms are, and just what they do for us and to us? ‘The Algorithmic You’ initiative aims to de-mystify the seemingly invisible impacts of algorithms…
digital safety: protesting
Through the use of location tracking and photo/posting metadata, our devices often know exactly where we are and what we’ve been doing. This information can be used against us to put us, and others, at risk of being harmed. We’ve put together some tips to keep in mind to protect your digital (and physical) identity…
the/algorithmic/you 