MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Coming to Grips With Dangerous Algorithms

For technology users, particularly social media users, 2018 has been a year of awakening. The media began scratching the surface of the dangers of social media with the story of Russian parties influencing the U.S. election. Soon after, a slew of reports followed with details of how Cambridge Analytica used social media data to influence votes in both the United Kingdom and the United States. People were suddenly exposed to the dangers of how easily social media and the algorithms underpinning social platforms can be used to influence other users, and we’re now seeing how widespread the practice has become. Harmless, everyday actions performed by millions of users, such as taking fun surveys, had suddenly become tools for unscrupulous data miners.

The investigation into the Cambridge Analytica scandal was a high point for awareness of privacy breaches in the social media community, but it certainly was not the first. In February 2018, Guillaume Chaslot, a former YouTube employee, went public with his study on YouTube’s algorithms, which found extreme bias in relation to the 2016 election.

About the Author

Haslina Ali is a recent MBA graduate from Babson College, F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. She has had a successful nine-year career as a strategy consultant, private equity professional, and entrepreneur. Rubén Mancha (@rubenmmancha) is an assistant professor of information systems at Babson College and a top 40-Under-40 business professor. He researches digital innovation and the social and environmental impact of technology and teaches technology courses at F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.

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