For better accountability, we should shift the focus from the design of these systems to their impact. Getty Describing a decision-making system as an “algorithm” is often a way to deflect ...

A formula used to turn ordinary data, or "plaintext," into a secret coded message known as "ciphertext." The ciphertext can reside in storage or travel over unsecure networks without its contents ...

Advanced computer programs influence, and can even dictate, meaningful parts of our lives. Think of streaming services, credit scores, facial recognition software. As this technology becomes more ...

They're related, but not interchangeable. Get even smarter with the “Make Me Smart” newsletter. We’ll start your Friday right by explaining the news, rounding up the best stories we read this week and ...

In the age of Facebook and Netflix, the word “algorithm” has become so ubiquitous, and its connotation so amorphous, that it’s verging on jargon—maybe even cliché. The Atlantic’s Ian Bogost has ...

Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Lawyers often ask me about the Google algorithm, which is actually a confluence of many ...