Algorithims of Oppression – Thursday, March 11, 2021, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Safiya U. Noble is an associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Information Studies. She is the author of a best-selling book on racist and sexist algorithmic bias in commercial search engines, entitled Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. Dr. 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 that leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance, 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.