Technically Wrong (sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, And Other Threats Of Toxic Tech)

By (author) Wachter-Boettcher, Sara
Short description/annotation
A revealing look at how tech industry bias and blind spots get baked into digital products—and harm us all.
Description

Buying groceries, tracking our health, finding a date: whatever we want to do, odds are that we can now do it online. But few of us ask how all these digital products are designed or why. It’s time we changed that. Many of the services we rely on are full of oversights, biases and downright ethical nightmares. Chatbots that harass women. Sign-up forms that fail anyone who’s not straight. Social media sites that send messages about dead relatives. Algorithms that put more black people behind bars.

Technically Wrong takes an unflinching look at the values, processes and assumptions that lead to these problems and more. Wachter-Boettcher demystifies the tech industry, leaving those of us on the other side of the screen better prepared to make informed choices about the services we use—and demand more from the companies behind them.

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"The stories she [Sara Wachter-Boettcher] tells... are good, as are the examples she provides of corporate failure."
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"This is a powerful read reflecting on the prejudices that lurk within a powerful industry."
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"Technology permeates life, from grocery shopping to dating apps. Yet we rarely question its design or aims. Web consultant Sara Wachter-Boettcher proffers a damning critique of the ethical dilemmas it poses, and why we need to demand more accountability from tech creators."
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"Thoughtful and entertaining, [Technically Wrong] encourages its readers to give their apps a critical eye, considering the many ways biased programming can influence users. This argument for greater diversity in the technology industry is an important call-to-arms."
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"A must-read in the post-Cambridge Analytica world."
Biographical note
Sara Wachter-Boettcher runs Rare Union, a consultancy based in Philadelphia, and is the author of Technically Wrong, Design for Real Life, with Eric Meyer, and Content Everywhere. She helps organizations with digital product and content strategy, and speaks at conferences worldwide.