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Accountability sinks

(aworkinglibrary.com)
493 points l0b0 | 2 comments | 19 Oct 24 23:39 UTC | HN request time: 0.4s | source
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alilleybrinker ◴[20 Oct 24 01:53 UTC] No.41892299[source]▶
Cathy O'Neil's "Weapons of Math Destruction" (2016, Penguin Random House) is a good companion to this concept, covering the "accountability sink" from the other side of those constructing or overseeing systems.

Cathy argues that the use of algorithm in some contexts permits a new scale of harmful and unaccountable systems that ought to be reigned in.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241363/weapons-of-m...

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spencerchubb ◴[20 Oct 24 03:55 UTC] No.41892736[source]▶
It's much easier to hold an algorithm accountable than an organization of humans. You can reprogram an algorithm. But good look influencing an organization to change
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conradolandia ◴[20 Oct 24 04:15 UTC] No.41892817[source]▶
That is not accountability. Can the algorithm be sent to jail if it commit crimes?
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lucianbr ◴[20 Oct 24 04:47 UTC] No.41892927[source]▶
Is the point revenge or fixing the problem? Fixing the algorithm to never do that again is easy. Or is the point to instill fear?
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melagonster ◴[20 Oct 24 07:00 UTC] No.41893485[source]▶
If algorithm can do some thing wrong, but nobody should be responsible for it, everyone will just hide their crimes under algorithm and replace it when someone find problem.
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1. lucianbr ◴[20 Oct 24 07:18 UTC] No.41893561[source]▶
If a mechanical device does something wrong, are we in the same conundrum?

I don't see what the problem is. There's malice, there's negligence, and there's accident. We can figure out which it was, and act accordingly. Must we collapse these to a single situation with a single solution?

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2. melagonster ◴[21 Oct 24 01:54 UTC] No.41900061[source]▶
>If a mechanical device does something wrong, are we in the same conundrum?

Sure! But oop mentioned a phenomenon that some companies can hide after algorithms and reject taking responsibility for it. If machines cause damage, people can easily find who's fault, but sometimes the same way does not work on software.