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Big data and the computable society : algorithms and people in the digital world
Talia D., World Scientific Publishing Europe Ltd, London, UK, 2019. 184 pp. Type: Book (978-1-786347-06-0)
Date Reviewed: Mar 4 2020

The rapid growth and pervasiveness of the digital revolution means that the relationships between people, the traceability of their actions, and the behavior of individuals and organizations all now exist in some form as “big data” on the Internet. In a democratic society, citizens need to have some level of knowledge of what is happening in the world of big data and digital innovation in order to understand the impact on their lives and to help them make informed choices.

The book discusses contemporary and future issues related to big data, data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet. Rather than proffering opinions, the author simply raises points for discussion. Issues covered include relationships between digital technologies and power, the impact of data analysis on our lives, and the impact of big data on the privacy of citizens and the exercise of democracy.

We begin by looking at people who form a “digital swarm,” immersing themselves in a world of digital media and online social interactions. The discussion considers the imperfect and easily misunderstood medium that is instant digital communications and the dangers of ephemeral opinions expressed without a need for knowledge, considered thought, or reflection. The second chapter discusses accountability and software algorithms, whether it be the display order of Internet search results or the decisions made by software-controlled autonomous vehicles, for example, balancing the lives of its passengers against those in other vehicles in collision scenarios. The author then moves on to discuss how the consumption of digital products is driving social development and a general decline in the technical ability of the population.

Chapter 4 covers the rise of online shopping, with chapters 5 and 6 then considering a characteristic of the Internet: the indefinite retention of personal information. The disconnect between reality and the “transformed” reality presented by Internet smart devices is discussed, as well as the problems that may arise in processing, interpreting, and drawing conclusions from the large volume of online data. Next, chapter 9 discusses the use of information available on the Internet in planning for the future.

If a person on the street offers you something for nothing, you would immediately want to understand “the catch.” Chapter 10 discusses what Internet service providers get for the apparently free services they offer, and chapter 11 extends this discussion into the privacy issues arising from the profit-based processing of data about people’s spending habits. The next chapter discusses the computation of logical arguments and machine learning, and chapter 13 considers the Internet as a marketplace for the sale of personal information. Next, the author looks at the hurdles in accessing and processing the huge volume of data already collected online to deliver intelligent public information. Chapters 15 and 16 discuss the impact of the Internet and digital technologies on the future of work, the democratization of innovation, and the development of new technologies.

Chapter 17 looks at the privacy needs of citizens in a democracy balanced against the intelligence data needed by organizations charged with protecting those citizens. Chapter 18 considers the relationships between digital technologies and politics, with the expected references to George Orwell [1]. Chapter 19 discusses the impact of the Internet on classical print media organizations and radio and television broadcasting. The author then discusses big data analytics algorithms and getting value from analyzing the huge volume of data available, leading into a discussion on the question of ownership of this data.

The final few chapters discuss how computers of all sizes have effectively reduced the distance between people with faster interactions, the tracking of things and people, and the impact rapid technological change and algorithms processing big data (including surveillance data) are having on various aspects of the lives of citizens. Importantly, the author explores whether these changes are for the better.

Each of the 29 chapters discusses an aspect of the impact of digital technological change on society, covering topics such as AI, social media, open data, and public innovation. The book aims to help readers understand the key issues involved and the maze of info-communications that pervades the Internet. There is a short index, a good table of contents, and references that follow each chapter. An interesting and thought-provoking work, the short chapters are ideal for succinctly highlighting the issues involved.

Reviewer:  David B. Henderson Review #: CR146918 (2009-0213)
1) Orwell, G. Nineteen eighty-four. Secker & Warburg, London, UK, 1949.
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