The need for algorithmic accountability

There is a new generation of companies exerting such great influence on society that they're essentially becoming utilities. Google, Amazon, Facebook and Uber are near monopolies that provide services as integral to our modern life as power, telephone and transportation systems were a century ago. But there is a key difference between last century's utilities and today's: Instead of simply delivering a service, today's utilities use algorithms to shape our entire life experience. From the news we see and the routes we drive, to the price we pay for goods and services, algorithms influence them all. Uber efficiently dispatches its drivers during rush hour, Facebook displays the most relevant stories to its users and Amazon can suggest the right product at the optimal time to drive a purchase.