Weapons of Math Destruction audiobook cover - How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

Weapons of Math Destruction

How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

Cathy O’Neil

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Technology & the FutureEconomics

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Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
How did data analysts for the 2012 Obama campaign utilize algorithmic profiling?
  • A. By predicting which voters would be most likely to donate to the opposing candidate.
  • B. By grouping people with similar interests to target them with specific, appealing political ads.
  • C. By identifying undecided voters and restricting their access to conservative news feeds.
  • D. By automatically registering people to vote based on their social media activity.
Question 2 of 7
Why do crime-prediction algorithms often result in the over-policing of poor neighborhoods?
  • A. The algorithms are fed data that focuses heavily on 'nuisance crimes,' which skew the analysis toward poorer areas.
  • B. The software is designed specifically to track individuals with low credit scores.
  • C. Poorer neighborhoods have fewer security cameras, requiring algorithms to compensate with a higher police presence.
  • D. The algorithms rely exclusively on social media connections, which are denser in urban neighborhoods.
Question 3 of 7
According to the book, what surprising factor can result in a driver paying significantly higher car insurance premiums?
  • A. Driving an older vehicle without modern safety features.
  • B. Having a poor credit report, even with a flawless driving record.
  • C. Living in a wealthy neighborhood with a high rate of vehicle theft.
  • D. Frequently shopping around for different insurance quotes.
Question 4 of 7
How did Allstate's algorithm penalize customers who were deemed unlikely to shop around for cheaper prices?
  • A. By automatically canceling their policies after a single traffic violation.
  • B. By increasing their insurance rates by as much as 800 percent.
  • C. By selling their demographic data to third-party marketing agencies.
  • D. By forcing them to take mandatory driver education courses.
Question 5 of 7
What fundamental flaw in algorithmic hiring is illustrated by Kyle Behm's experience applying to minimum-wage jobs?
  • A. Algorithms often confuse applicants with similar names and birthdates.
  • B. Automated resume readers reject applications that use complex fonts and formatting.
  • C. The software automatically filters out applicants who lack a college degree.
  • D. Personality tests can systematically discriminate against individuals with mental health conditions.
Question 6 of 7
How did the US News and World Report's ranking algorithm negatively impact the concept of the 'safety school'?
  • A. Safety schools were forced to merge with more prestigious universities to survive.
  • B. Safety schools began rejecting high-performing students to keep their overall acceptance rates low.
  • C. Safety schools lost their state funding because the algorithm prioritized private institutions.
  • D. Safety schools had to eliminate their athletic programs to improve their academic rankings.
Question 7 of 7
What is the central thesis of 'Weapons of Math Destruction' regarding modern algorithms?
  • A. Algorithms have successfully eliminated human bias from institutional decision-making.
  • B. Algorithms incorporate the prejudices of their human designers and scale these biases to cause massive unfairness.
  • C. Algorithms are perfectly neutral but are frequently hacked by malicious third parties.
  • D. Algorithms should only be used by government agencies and banned from private corporations.

Weapons of Math Destruction — Full Chapter Overview

Weapons of Math Destruction Summary & Overview

Weapons of Math Destruction (2016) offers a critical look at the growing number of algorithms that could be impacting your day-to-day life in ways you’re not even aware of. As more businesses and services, including schools and police, use algorithms to automate jobs, an increasing number of people are suffering the adverse effects. So don’t leave yourself at the mercy of automation – find out what you can do to protect yourself and your data.

Who Should Listen to Weapons of Math Destruction?

  • Students and enthusiasts of computer science and statistics
  • Internet activists
  • Readers worried about their privacy rights

About the Author: Cathy O’Neil

Cathy O’Neil has a PhD in mathematics from Harvard and was a teacher at Barnard College before moving to the private sector as a data scientist for various start-ups. Her writing can be found on the popular blog Mathbabe. Her other books include Doing Data Science.

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