The document discusses various issues relating to algorithm ethics, including how algorithms can inhibit individual choice, how value judgements are embedded in algorithms like medical imaging technology, and how the choice of algorithm and its parameters can affect results without being objectively true or false. It also addresses filter bubbles, targeted advertising, digital dualism, and ways to increase transparency and control over algorithms, including keeping options open, allowing for changes to presets, teaching hacking skills, and making hacking legal.

1. When individual choice inhibits choice:
Algorithm Ethics
Joerg Blumtritt
@jbenno
Social Media Week Berlin, 2013

2. This algorithm does not contain a value judgment
def eratosthenes(n):
multiples = []
for i in xrange(2, n+1):
if i not in multiples:
print i
for j in xrange(i*i, n+1, i):
multiples.append(j)
2

3. ... the algorithm behind this map does!
3

4. "Urteilskraft überhaupt ist das
Vermögen, das Besondere als
enthalten unter dem
Allgemeinen zu denken."
(Judgment of all is the ability
to think the particular as
contained under the
universal.)
Kant, Kritik der Urteilskraft
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5. The rise and fall of
"Werturteil" / "Value Judgment"
5

6. You don't see it, but medical imaging technolgy heavily
relies on value jugements. The bad thing: most of it
comes as a black box.
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7. The classification algorithm you chose effects your
results. There is no true of false. Just the costs of
missclassification.
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8. We have to make a decision for:
- the method
- which algorithm?
- boundary conditions
- which parameters?
- dealing with errors
- which risk funktion?
8

9. Property P
object does
not carry P
object carries P
P was not
observed
TRUE
false negative
P was observed
false positive
TRUE
9

10. 10

11. Mistakes like a bounced check or a small overdraft have effectively
blacklisted more than a million low-income Americans from the
mainstream financial system for as long as seven years as a result of
little-known private databases that are used by the nation’s major
banks.
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12. Algorithmic filter bubble: personalized search
decides what's relevant on your behalf.
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13. Targeted Advertising
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14. Digital Dualism: there is nothing virtual about
data.
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15. Technology like our
smartphones are like a
telescope that makes the
data floating around us
visible.
So we have our world
augmented rather than
virtualized.
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16. Becoming cyborgs.
Cyborg Rights
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17. Developers:
• keep as many options open as possible
• give others a chance in changing the pre-sets
Educational systems:
• teach people to hack, to become curious about
seeing behind things.
Legislative bodies:
• make hacking things legal. Only what gets
hacked, gets tested.
17

18. 18

19. Let us have sovereignty over
the things we have to deal with,
let us shape our surroundings
according to our ethics.
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20. Joerg Blumtritt
@jbenno
Datarella GmbH
Oskar-von-Miller-Ring 36
80333 München
089/44 23 69 99
info@datarella.com