News feeds, search results, directions across town, even job or rental applications - opaque algorithms determine an increasingly large proportion of our lives.

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission is going after landlords for using algorithms to illegally fix rental prices.

Back home, a secret algorithm determines how detainees in immigration detention are treated.

Through the lens of these two recent news stories, we explore the consequences of an increasingly algorithmically determined world and how algorithms can provide a false air of objectivity, giving cover for bad behaviour, bias or other errors.

Links:

FTC statement on price fixing by algorithm https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/03/price-fixing-algorithm-still-price-fixing

Guardian article about algorithmic risk-ratings for Serco immigration detainees https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/ng-interactive/2024/mar/13/serco-australia-immigration-detention-network-srat-tool-risk-rating-ntwnfb

ACCC v Trivago - misleading customers about their ranking algorithm https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/trivago-to-pay-447-million-in-penalties-for-misleading-consumers-over-hotel-room-rates

Rod Sims 2017 speech on algorithms https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/new-competition-laws-a-protection-against-big-data-e-collusion

Comments on ADM by NSW OMbudsman (InnovationAus) https://www.innovationaus.com/automated-decisioning-sweeps-across-nsw-govt/

CHOICE report on RentTech in Australia https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/choice-renttech-report-release

Algorithmic bias in sentencing (Pro Publica) https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing

Credits: Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.au
Music by Bensound.com