Algorithm Audit: Why, What and How?

Book excerpt: Seeking to increasing the social awareness of citizens, institutions, and corporations with regard to the risks presented by the acritical use of algorithms in decision-making, this book explains the rationale and the methods of algorithm audit. Interdisciplinary in approach, it provides a systematic overview of the subject, supplying readers with clear definitions and practical tools for the audit of algorithms, while also taking account of the political, business, and vocational obstacles to the development of this new field. As such, it constitutes an essential resource for students and researchers across the social sciences and humanities, as well as for professionals and policymakers, with concerns about the social consequences of algorithmic decision-making.