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Changes to the Search Algorithm

When Noble's book came out in 2018, the Internet operated very differently from how it works today. Even from the time she started writing in 2011, things have been constantly changing. Today, Google tries to be very candid about how their search algorithm works. They have multiple pages going over each step of the process.

Since this specific search algorithm is intellectual property of Google, it's impossible to say exactly how it works. However, there have been multiple examples of Google "fixing" mistakes by changing the outcome of the algorithm, not the algorithm itself.

A recent example of this comes from 2020, when Google's Vision AI produced extremely different results for two images of a hand holding a thermometer gun.

When Google was made aware of this, they immediately changed the results of the image of the black hand to just register as "hand". But why was this able to happen in the first place? What type of image classification and search algorithm do they use where a mistake like this could happen in the first place?

By just changing the result of this one image, Google fails to address the underlying issues with its classification and sorting algorithms. It tries to "resolve" the issue as fast as possible to please the masses. But more pressure needs to be placed on the company to acknowledge how something like this was able to happen in the first place.

Safiya Noble's Solution

What can be done against Google, which is nearly a monopoly of online information? How can individuals put pressure on the company to address the underlying biases within their search algorithm?

1: Bring in Outsiders to Regulate the Search Results

Noble argues that other types of media, such as radio and film, are strictly regulated industries. However, there are no such regulations for Google. With outsider intervention, Google can ensure that factually correct sites are being pushed to the top of the page, instead of whatever sites are the most popular at the moment.

These people might include teachers, professors, librarians, and field professionals. If information is being currated by a variety of people, and not just those who are able to financially prosper if they promote the most popular sites, then the flow of information can be less biased.

2: Get More Minorities Involved in Tech

The second solution that Noble offers is to get more minorities involved in tech. The Google search algorithm isn't public information, making it inaccessable to anyone outside the company. If more of the misrepresented communities are involved in the conversation around tech, then more changes can start to be implemented.

Noble has spoken at conferences held by the organization Black Girls Code, which works to get more black girls and women involved in computer science. The main goal of the program is to get 1 million black girls into tech by 2040. Doing this would open the door for more black women to get involved in the conversation surrounding the search algorithm and other algorithms that are built off of biases.