The right to audit and power asymmetries in algorithm auditing

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Urman, Aleksandra, Smirnov, Ivan, Lasser, Jana
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2023
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author Urman, Aleksandra
Smirnov, Ivan
Lasser, Jana
author_facet Urman, Aleksandra
Smirnov, Ivan
Lasser, Jana
contents In this paper, we engage with and expand on the keynote talk about the Right to Audit given by Prof. Christian Sandvig at the IC2S2 2021 through a critical reflection on power asymmetries in the algorithm auditing field. We elaborate on the challenges and asymmetries mentioned by Sandvig - such as those related to legal issues and the disparity between early-career and senior researchers. We also contribute a discussion of the asymmetries that were not covered by Sandvig but that we find critically important: those related to other disparities between researchers, incentive structures related to the access to data from companies, targets of auditing and users and their rights. We also discuss the implications these asymmetries have for algorithm auditing research such as the Western-centrism and the lack of the diversity of perspectives. While we focus on the field of algorithm auditing specifically, we suggest some of the discussed asymmetries affect Computational Social Science more generally and need to be reflected on and addressed.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2302_08301
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The right to audit and power asymmetries in algorithm auditing
Urman, Aleksandra
Smirnov, Ivan
Lasser, Jana
Computers and Society
In this paper, we engage with and expand on the keynote talk about the Right to Audit given by Prof. Christian Sandvig at the IC2S2 2021 through a critical reflection on power asymmetries in the algorithm auditing field. We elaborate on the challenges and asymmetries mentioned by Sandvig - such as those related to legal issues and the disparity between early-career and senior researchers. We also contribute a discussion of the asymmetries that were not covered by Sandvig but that we find critically important: those related to other disparities between researchers, incentive structures related to the access to data from companies, targets of auditing and users and their rights. We also discuss the implications these asymmetries have for algorithm auditing research such as the Western-centrism and the lack of the diversity of perspectives. While we focus on the field of algorithm auditing specifically, we suggest some of the discussed asymmetries affect Computational Social Science more generally and need to be reflected on and addressed.
title The right to audit and power asymmetries in algorithm auditing
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.08301