Cathy O'Neil
Washington Post
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Cathy:
Covid ‘Viral Load’ Is a Meaningless Distraction
If you’re not a laboratory mouse, a bigger dose of virus won’t necessarily make you sicker. → Read More
Covid ‘Viral Load’ Is a Meaningless Distraction
If you’re not a laboratory mouse, a bigger dose of virus won’t necessarily make you sicker. → Read More
There’s Good Reason for Tech Workers to Embrace the Office
America’s national security might depend on it. → Read More
There's Good Reason for Tech Workers to Embrace the Office
America’s national security might depend on it. → Read More
Sorry Elon, ‘Open Source’ Algorithms Won’t Improve Twitter
On the contrary, revealing the platform’s code could expose the average user to more junk tweets, lies and offensive language. → Read More
The Vaccine-Hesitant Could Use Some Friendly Shame
Talking down won’t work, but appealing to responsibility might. Excerpt from “The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation.” → Read More
The Vaccine-Hesitant Could Use Some Friendly Shame
The experience of the global Covid-19 pandemic raises a troubling question about the state of human society: Why would so many otherwise intelligent people refuse vaccines that can save their lives and help protect their friends and loved ones? The answer lies to a large extent in shame, and in the ways government officials, scientists and community leaders should and shouldn’t deploy it. → Read More
Hiring Algorithms Can’t Be Fixed by Employers Alone
If the Data & Trust Alliance wants to address unfair discrimination, it should set some binding standards. → Read More
A Chronological Feed Wouldn’t Fix Facebook
The social media platform has grown up on the assumption that we don’t want to hear from most of the “friends” in our networks. → Read More
Facebook’s Algorithms Are Too Big to Fix
But by demanding specific types of data, authorities can start to hold the company accountable. → Read More
Facebook’s Instagram Research Isn’t Anything Like Science
The inadequacy of its efforts to establish the truth should be a scandal, too. → Read More
Facebook’s VIP ‘Whitelist’ Reveals Two Big Problems
The company knows its moderation algorithm doesn’t work and doesn’t want to admit it. → Read More
Getting a Covid-19 Vaccine Can Still Save Your Life
But many people won't believe it without better data showing exactly how effective vaccines remain. → Read More
College Admissions Shouldn’t Be Trusted to Humans
Random selection would save a lot of money and trouble, and improve diversity. → Read More
How Good Are Vaccines? Try 99.9999% Effective
That 95% efficacy number isn’t the whole story. → Read More
Covid-19 Is About to Become Much Less Deadly
Rising case numbers in the U.S. won’t necessarily translate into more fatalities. → Read More
Vaccinations Are Going Pretty Well If You’re White
The chaotic U.S. vaccine campaign is headed for an inequitable and corrupt result. → Read More
America Is Making Me Feel Like Sarah Connor
Should mothers be preparing their kids for a dystopian future? → Read More
Google's Ethics Effort Is Looking Rather Evil
The firing of data scientist Timnit Gebru demonstrates that companies can't be trusted to check their own work. → Read More
Polling Failed. It's Time to Kick the Addiction
Doubling down won’t help Americans understand themselves. → Read More