[kictanet] Is Facebook biased on its newsfeed?

Thu May 12 18:50:47 EAT 2016

Exactly Ahmed. :-)

So would you agree that without algorithms there will be no machine
learning?

Ali Hussein
Tel: +254 713 601113
On May 12, 2016 6:48 PM, "Ahmed Mohamed Maawy" <ultimateprogramer at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I may be wrong anyway Ali. But maybe its the way I see these 2 disciplines.
>
> But I think Algorithms are more of computations and logic operations.
> Machine Learning gives these Algorithms the decision making capabilities
> and comprise of a set of algorithms + historic data with the capability to
> make predicitions.
>
> On Thu, May 12, 2016 at 6:44 PM, Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>
>>
>
>
> --
> *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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