[kictanet] Is Facebook biased on its newsfeed?

Thu May 12 18:44:30 EAT 2016

Ahmed

I stand educated. :-)

Thank you.

Ali Hussein
Tel: +254 713 601113
On May 12, 2016 6:42 PM, "Ahmed Mohamed Maawy" <ultimateprogramer at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Ali, This is what I mean:
>
> Algorithms: a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or
> other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
>
> Machine Learning: Machine learning is a subfield of computer science that
> evolved from the study of pattern recognition and computational learning
> theory in artificial intelligence. In 1959, Arthur Samuel defined machine
> learning as a "Field of study that gives computers the ability to learn
> without being explicitly programmed"
>
> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 6:36 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>
>> Ahmed
>>
>> Machine learning doesn't happen in a vacuum...
>>
>> *Ali Hussein*
>> *Principal*
>> *Hussein & Associates*
>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
>>
>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>
>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>
>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>>
>>
>> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking
>> what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On 12 May 2016, at 6:10 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <
>> ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I think there is a need to differential Machine Learning and Algorithms
>> fellows. Machine Learning is where the problem is :)
>>
>> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 5:55 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <
>> ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Its not the algorithms Ali, its the Machine Learning process :)
>>>
>>> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 5:42 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Ahmed
>>>>
>>>> You obviously missed the story of the Microsoft algorithm that was
>>>> taught to behave like a racist.   :-)
>>>>
>>>> http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/24/11297050/tay-microsoft-chatbot-racist
>>>>
>>>> My point is that we do seem to forget that all these algorithms are
>>>> created by humans who have biases.
>>>>
>>>> Google is in trouble for deliberately skewing their algorithms to
>>>> benefit their own products. Not sure this is wrong but the European
>>>> regulators seem to think so to the extent of threatening them with a 10% of
>>>> revenue fine..
>>>>
>>>> With great power comes great responsibility - so goes the adage..
>>>>
>>>> *Ali Hussein*
>>>> *Principal*
>>>> *Hussein & Associates*
>>>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
>>>>
>>>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>>>
>>>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>>>
>>>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking
>>>> what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>
>>>> On 12 May 2016, at 5:20 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <
>>>> ultimateprogramer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> There are a number of elements at play here:
>>>>
>>>>    1. Obviously to a great degree this algorithm has massively helped
>>>>    Facebook. Not that I am totally on their side, what I mean to say is that
>>>>    lets give credit where its due. Without this algorithm we would have seen
>>>>    massive fallout and loss of klout. This is something Twitter did not figure
>>>>    out so well. LinkedIn is still the place professionals like to hang out,
>>>>    but its not the place professionals like to stay. Just stating how it came
>>>>    to be that Facebook is air and air is life (so to speak).
>>>>    2. If truly there is a bias to all this (which I am yes, yet to
>>>>    comprehend how this bias is visible) it can mean 2 things:
>>>>       1. Either content producers are not building influence better
>>>>       than those who rank at the top. Or
>>>>       2. If not, there is a genuine market opportunity in this gap.
>>>>
>>>> But algorithms are algorithms, and my experience developing algorithms
>>>> tells me computer algorithms can not easily be twisted to lie, especially
>>>> in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
>>>>
>>>> But these are all books on their own anyway.
>>>>
>>>> Just my 2 cents.
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 4:52 PM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <
>>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Listers
>>>>>
>>>>> This mail is coped from the Fortune.com <http://fortune.com> Data
>>>>> Sheet.
>>>>>
>>>>> The “Trending” topics section of Facebook seems such a trivial thing,
>>>>> and in many ways it is. It looks and feels like an afterthought—ironically,
>>>>> it started as an attempt to copy Twitter
>>>>> <http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL3RlY2hjcnVuY2guY29tLzIwMTQvMDEvMTYvZmFjZWJvb2stdHJlbmRpbmcv/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBf20eece1>—and
>>>>> many users probably don’t even notice it’s there. But now, it has triggered
>>>>> a national discussion around bias and the power of social platforms.
>>>>>
>>>>> In case you missed the brouhaha, it started with a report from Gizmodo that
>>>>> profiled
>>>>> <http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL2dpem1vZG8uY29tL3dhbnQtdG8ta25vdy13aGF0LWZhY2Vib29rLXJlYWxseS10aGlua3Mtb2Ytam91cm5hbGlzdHMtMTc3MzkxNjExNw/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aB4ee70a20>a
>>>>> team of anonymous journalists working at Facebook who curate the news that
>>>>> shows up in the Trending section. A subsequent report quoted one of the
>>>>> journalists as saying the team routinely removed certain
>>>>> <http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL2dpem1vZG8uY29tL2Zvcm1lci1mYWNlYm9vay13b3JrZXJzLXdlLXJvdXRpbmVseS1zdXBwcmVzc2VkLWNvbnNlci0xNzc1NDYxMDA2/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBf141c2b3> right-wing
>>>>> political sites from the section, even when the social network’s data
>>>>> showed they were trending.
>>>>>
>>>>> The revelation seemed harmless enough, at first: Journalists hired to
>>>>> edit things were actually editing them! But the comment soon snowballed
>>>>> into a debate over Facebook’s role in news consumption, and whether its
>>>>> sheer size and influence brings with it some level of responsibility.
>>>>>
>>>>> Facebook responded to the story
>>>>> <http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL3RzdG9ja3kvcG9zdHMvMTAxMDA4NTMwODIzMzc5NTg/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBf49ae890> by
>>>>> saying that its policy is to remain as neutral as possible editorially, and
>>>>> that it will look into reports of misbehavior. Then it issued a second,
>>>>> even more heartfelt response, after the Senate Commerce Committee sent
>>>>> a letter
>>>>> <http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL2dpem1vZG8uY29tL3NlbmF0ZS1nb3AtbGF1bmNoZXMtaW5xdWlyeS1pbnRvLWZhY2Vib29rLXMtbmV3cy1jdXJhdGktMTc3NTc2NzAxOA/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aB1d911177> asking
>>>>> the company to answer some questions around political influence and the
>>>>> Trending section.
>>>>>
>>>>> The real issue, of course, isn’t the tiny section of the Facebook home
>>>>> page that follows trending topics. It’s the fact that the kind of editorial
>>>>> selection those journalists engaged in is happening every minute of every
>>>>> day on the main news feed, courtesy of the Facebook ranking algorithm. And
>>>>> that algorithm, since it is programmed by human beings, inevitably contains
>>>>> biases of all kinds.
>>>>>
>>>>> The bottom line is that Facebook is more than just a social network
>>>>> where people exchange photos of their pets—it is the largest and most
>>>>> influential
>>>>> <http://link.fortune.com/click/6706588.20757/aHR0cDovL3d3dy52b3guY29tLzIwMTYvNS8xMC8xMTY0MDE0MC9mYWNlYm9vay1tZWRpYS1pbmZsdWVuY2U/55ba80258cc2b2e72d8b457aBca65e309> media
>>>>> entity the world has ever seen. The sooner Facebook acknowledges that, and
>>>>> becomes part of the discussion around how it can manage its social
>>>>> responsibilities, the better off we will all be.
>>>>>
>>>>> *Ali Hussein*
>>>>> *Principal*
>>>>> *Hussein & Associates*
>>>>> +254 0713 601113 / 0770906375
>>>>>
>>>>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>>>>
>>>>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>>>>
>>>>> LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking
>>>>> what no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> *Ahmed Maawy*
>>>> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
>>>> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
>>>> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
>>>> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
>>>> (KE) +254 714 960 627
>>>> Skype: ultimateprogramer
>>>>
>>>> swahilibox.co.ke
>>>> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
>>>> startupgrind.com
>>>> ajplus.net
>>>> www.everylayer.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *Ahmed Maawy*
>>> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
>>> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
>>> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
>>> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
>>> (KE) +254 714 960 627
>>> Skype: ultimateprogramer
>>>
>>> swahilibox.co.ke
>>> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
>>> startupgrind.com
>>> ajplus.net
>>> www.everylayer.com
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> *Ahmed Maawy*
>> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
>> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
>> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
>> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
>> (KE) +254 714 960 627
>> Skype: ultimateprogramer
>>
>> swahilibox.co.ke
>> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
>> startupgrind.com
>> ajplus.net
>> www.everylayer.com
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> *Ahmed Maawy*
> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> Ambassador - Open Knowledge
> Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
> Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
> (KE) +254 714 960 627
> Skype: ultimateprogramer
>
> swahilibox.co.ke
> www.okfn.org <http://okfn.org/>
> startupgrind.com
> ajplus.net
> www.everylayer.com
>
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