The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money And Information
SKU: 11362339933

The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money And Information

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The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money And InformationThe Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money And Information Every day, corporations are connecting the dots about our personal behaviorsilently scrutinizing clues left behind by our work habits and Internet use. The data compiled and portraits created are incredibly detailed, to the point of being invasive. But who connects the dots about what firms are doing with this information? The Black Box Society argues that we all need to

The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money And Information

Every day, corporations are connecting the dots about our personal behavior—silently scrutinizing clues left behind by our work habits and Internet use. The data compiled and portraits created are incredibly detailed, to the point of being invasive. But who connects the dots about what firms are doing with this information? The Black Box Society argues that we all need to be able to do so—and to set limits on how big data affects our lives.

Hidden algorithms can make (or ruin) reputations, decide the destiny of entrepreneurs, or even devastate an entire economy. Shrouded in secrecy and complexity, decisions at major Silicon Valley and Wall Street firms were long assumed to be neutral and technical. But leaks, whistleblowers, and legal disputes have shed new light on automated judgment. Self-serving and reckless behavior is surprisingly common, and easy to hide in code protected by legal and real secrecy. Even after billions of dollars of fines have been levied, underfunded regulators may have only scratched the surface of this troubling behavior.

Frank Pasquale exposes how powerful interests abuse secrecy for profit and explains ways to rein them in. Demanding transparency is only the first step. An intelligible society would assure that key decisions of its most important firms are fair, nondiscriminatory, and open to criticism. Silicon Valley and Wall Street need to accept as much accountability as they impose on others.

'Recognized internationally as a landmark work of law and political economy.' - Commonweal

'If you are a person in America, then there are equations trying to learn more about you… Some of these equations work for private companies and some of them work for the government, but they all generate correlations based on your behavior… Frank Pasquale’s new book The Black Box Society is a tour of how computational intelligence has come to dominate three important parts of American life: reputation, search, and finance.' - New Republic

'Frank Pasquale’s notable new book, The Black Box Society, tries to come to grips with the dangers of ‘runaway data’ and ‘black box algorithms’ more comprehensively than any other book to date… It’s an important read for anyone who is interested in the hidden pitfalls of ‘big data’ and who wants to understand just how quantified our lives have become without our knowledge.' - Slate

'Everyone who uses the Internet for entertainment, education, news or commerce is implicated in a web of data collection whose breadth surpasses ordinary awareness… As [Pasquale’s] expose…shows, this is a society in which basic functions are performed in deliberate obscurity through the collection and algorithmic manipulation of personal data… In The Black Box Society, Pasquale finds reason to believe that even some of the most secretive and unresponsive institutions can be held to account. Elucidating the problem is a first step.' - Nature

'The Black Box Society offers a good dose of fresh thinking and may advance our debates over privacy. It also helps greatly that it is a good read, not just for those who are curious about privacy but also for those who are already familiar with the privacy literature.' - Science

'Frank Pasquale’s new book on the secret algorithms that motor the monstrous heart of big data is a timely work of non-fiction, a ‘true conspiracy’ about regulatory weakness in the face of technological hubris and greed.' - Flavorwire

'Pasquale has emerged as one of the go-to thinkers on Big Data and the algorithmic economy, and The Black Box Society (along with his Twitter feed) is a great—if discomfiting—place to start. You’ll come away overwhelmed by the speed and recklessness of data compilation and its uses and abuses.' - Flavorwire

'Required reading in many law school and computer science courses… Details how secret databases and little-known applications of AI algorithms have had harmful effects on finance, business, education, and politics. These opaque practices violate personal privacy, lower credit ratings, and make unfair or biased decisions on parole, mortgage, and job applications.' - Issues in Science and Technology

'By carefully breaking down ‘the business practices of leading Internet and finance companies, focusing on their use of proprietary reputation, search, and finance technologies,’ Pasquale pulls off an amazing feat of explanation, simultaneously and seamlessly explaining how and why black boxes exist, as well as what they can control and what happens when society entrusts black box technology with consequential decisions and hands immense power to the black box firms of Silicon Valley and Wall Street… The Black Box Society is a first-rate work of synthesis, combining ideas from law and economics, interpretive social science, science studies, and the philosophy of technology into an essential study of the political economy of information.' - Law Library Journal

'The Black Box Society is a frightening portrait of the ever more powerful shadowy world that blocks light from reaching our everyday lives. It is also a call to action, with a range of suggestions that inevitably pale in comparison to the gargantuan task at hand. But small steps sometimes have outsize consequences. Just ask the folks who control what we see, influence what we buy, and determine whether we can pay for it.' - Reading the Markets

'The algorithmic control that law scholar Frank Pasquale eloquently and intelligently details and analyzes goes beyond money information and into almost every aspect of our lives. For this reason, although it might appear merely to be a book about technology and finance, The Black Box Society, ultimately, is a radical and political work that deserves wide attention… The Black Box Society includes, for example, a fine explanation of the way that corporate and government surveillance work in concert and why we should be concerned about both… [Pasquale’s] brutal on the subject of the NSA, but devastating in his critique of Facebook, Twitter and Google and the myths that continue to surround them: myths of neutrality, myth about the ephemeral nature of their power and more. His analysis of search is pointed and poignant, underlining that we need to understand it better and treat search results more critically and sceptically… Pasquale’s detailed analyses, and his recipes not just for transparency but also for accountability, for more rigour in regulation and harder-hitting enforcement, deserve a careful read—and then action.' - Times Higher Education

'This book by Pasquale is disturbing. The premise is that corporate and public unchecked use of computer algorithms to collect and analyze data harms the public… Pasquale calls out Google, Facebook, and the financial industry for unchecked use of data to make profits and broken promises of privacy protection.' - Library Journal

SPECIFICATIONS:

Author:Frank Paskual - Фрэнк Паскуале

Publisher:Harvard University Press

Language:English

Publication Date:2016

Number of pages:320 pst

Format:Paperback

Width:156 mm / 6,1'

Height:235 mm / 9,3'

Weight:345 g

ISBN:9780674970847

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Lance Boudreaux
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice indoor toy
Color: Orange & Blue Roller, Size: 7.5 inches (1 Pack)
Great indoor dog toy. Just pick it up after use if your dog is a chewer like mine is.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2026
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Amazon Customer
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 1
1st one lasted over 3yrs, 2nd started falling apart in less than a week....
Color: Orange & Blue Roller, Size: 7.5 inches (1 Pack), Color: Orange & Blue Roller, Size: 7.5 inches (1 Pack)
My dog really loves this toy. He’s a 5yr old border collie. He doesn’t work at tearing up his toys but he does shake his toys. I bought his 1st Chuckit it indoor football over 3yrs ago. It held up very well and had normal wear and tear I’d expect from a chuckit toy to have. It developed a small tear in fabric about 6months ago. As it was still mainly intact, I let him continue to play with it. Then the tear widened and I felt good time to replace, so I ordered one from Amazon. He was ecstatic to have a new one. I was quite disappointed though as in under a week from giving it to him(he’s always supervised during play so I do know what he does with his toys and he doesn’t work at them to tear them up) I noticed a tear down the seam that was bigger than the other one had for 6months. Over the next few days, tear widened. Now cover is completely off of inside. I’m really disappointed in the quality. I’m not sure if the quality of the toy is less than when I got his first one(which I bought in a pet store such as petsmart) or if for some reason because I purchased on amazon, they are of lesser quality. I do know for a fact as I supervise his play and with his favorite toys(and usually his spendier toys) they get put up when it’s not play time. He has his other toys that he can play with anytime. I have ran also into Kong toys (Wubba) that has come apart quickly in under a month,but those were both bought on amazon and at a retail store, so I don’t know if amazon is distributing toys of lesssr quality or if toy brands that have held up in past (Kong Wubba & this Chuckit football) are just being made of lesser quality. My dog’s style of play hasn’t changed nor has his supervision. That being said, my dog absolutely LOVES this toy. I want other users to be forewarned that I’ve had 2 of this product for my dog, they both developed a tear down seam, that eventually led to outer fabric shell coming off of the inner part of the toy. Yes my dog does shake his toys but 1st lasted over 3yrs, 2nd lasted less than a month and is in worse condition than the first. I may purchase this toy again as it’s one of his favorites just to see if the 2nd one was a fluke. Had I paid more than $6.19(I’m a prime member and it was an add on product) I most likely wouldn’t purchase a third one. I’m willing to see if the third one will last at least a yr. if it starts coming apart in less than a week again, I’ll have my answer which would be that chuckit has resorted to making their toys of lessor quality. I hope that’s not the case because they are one of only a couple of brands I hold in high regard for their good quality and durable dog toys. Please see picture. It’s his toy in less than a month. The outer material came off during play last night. It lasted less than a month from time I gave it to him to play with. 5/22/18 update. I bought him a 3rd indoor fumblr, it last almost 3 months...I ordered him a 4th one. I gave it to him Friday, today is Tuesday, his 4th one is already coming apart at the seams. When I ordered 4th fumblr, I bought 2 at the same time, they were $5.19 each(prime member add on price). I’m glad I did because now they are twice the price at now over $10. I very highly doubt I will buy another indoor fumblr unless price drops in half again. This last one that I gave him 4-5days ago, it hasn’t been his daily favorite toy. He’s maybe played with it a couple hrs each day. My dog really LOVES this toy. I’m moving my rating down to a 1 Star from 2 as this toy has consistently come apart rather quickly. I’m very disappointed in the quality of this toy. He’s 5 1/2yrs Old now. 1st fumblr last over 3yrs, he’s gone through the other 3 in under 6months...had I paid over $10 each time, I probably would’ve stopped after the 3rd fumblr came apart. as it is now, I won’t but any more fumblrs by chuckit at this price....if price drops, after he’s gone through the 5th one I have put up...I may consider it...but not at over $10 for a toy that comes apart through normal play in under 5 days...
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Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2017
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Pat P.
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Pups loved them
Pups loved them. I have 2 so I had to buy 2
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Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2026
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Camille B.
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Soft, medium quality
Ok value for the money and doggies liked it. Not very durable but certainly more durable than some. Stitching is good and is ok - good toy overall but nothing exciting and not super durable though far better than some toys that just fall apart. And if your dog isn’t a toy killer this will be a great toy!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2020
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Amazon Customer
Port Orchard, US
★★★★★ 5
My dog Ed gives it two paws up
I have four dogs. One is completely in love with his toys. One is so so about them. The two others have no interest. I got this for the so so dog and he liked it, but only in small intervals. He left it for my other toy loving dog, Ed. For him, it was love at first bite. He took it and happily cuddled with it, threw it around, and watched with an adoring look at the flailing arms. The little squeaks thrilled him (to the chagrin of one of the other dogs who hates squeaks). Definitely a great buy and super cute.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2024

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