Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism

Safiya Umoja Noble

NYU Press, Feb 20, 2018 - Computers - 229 pages

A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms

Run a Google search for “black girls”—what will you find? “Big Booty” and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in “white girls,” the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about “why black women are so sassy” or “why black women are so angry” presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society.

In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color.

Through an analysis of textual and media searches as well as extensive research on paid online advertising, Noble exposes a culture of racism and sexism in the way discoverability is created online. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance—operating as a source for email, a major vehicle for primary and secondary school learning, and beyond—understanding and reversing these disquieting trends and discriminatory practices is of utmost importance.

An original, surprising and, at times, disturbing account of bias on the internet, Algorithms of Oppression contributes to our understanding of how racism is created, maintained, and disseminated in the 21st century.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - richardderus - LibraryThing

Rating: 4.5* of five The Publisher Says: Run a Google search for "black girls" - what will you find? "Big Booty" and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - dono421846 - LibraryThing

Although a solid summary of the larger problem of subtle bias in search engine results, this book promised much more in the way of explaining the source of that bias. Although the author recognizes ...

Contents

• The Power of Algorithms: 1
• A Society Searching 15: 52
• Searching for Black Girls 64: 100
• Searching for People and Communities: 110
• Searching for Protections from Search Engines: 119
• The Future of Knowledge in the Public: 134
• The Future of Information Culture: 153

About the author

Safiya Umoja Noble is Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Departments of Gender Studies and African American Studies. She is the co-founder and faculty director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2). In 2021, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her ground-breaking work in critical information and algorithm studies. She is also the recipient of the 2023 Miles Conrad Award, a lifetime achievement award for those working in the information community.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
• Author: Safiya Umoja Noble
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: NYU Press, 2018
• ISBN: 1479837245, 9781479837243
• Length: 229 pages
• Subjects: Computers / Internet / Search Engines; Computers / Social Aspects; Social Science / Discrimination; Social Science / Race & Ethnic Relations