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Accountability sinks

(aworkinglibrary.com)
493 points l0b0 | 2 comments | 19 Oct 24 23:39 UTC | HN request time: 0s | 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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TeMPOraL ◴[20 Oct 24 05:47 UTC] No.41893170{3}[source]▶
The point is that "accountability of an algorithm" is a category error.
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1. lucianbr ◴[20 Oct 24 07:19 UTC] No.41893566{4}[source]▶
That's reasonable. Let's just call it root cause analysis in this case.

The original point seemed to me to be "we can't use computers because they're not accountable". I say, we can, because we can do fault analysis and fix what is wrong. I won't say "we can hold them accountable", to avoid the category error.

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2. sethammons ◴[20 Oct 24 10:55 UTC] No.41894522[source]▶
I think folks may have different interpretations of accountability.

If your algorithm kills someone, is the accountability an improvement to the algorithm? A fine and no change to the algorithm? Imprisonment for related humans? Dissolution of some legal entity?