A recent article published by "La Quadrature du Net" discusses the use by the CAF (caisse d'allocations familiales - it is a French body in charge of the financial disbursement of social aid to individuals) of a ranking algorithm to assess trust in welfare recipients. The algorithm assigns a "suspicion score" based on various parameters, and criticism focuses on its dystopian nature and alleged discrimination against the most precarious. A request for access to the algorithm's source code was denied, but analysis of earlier versions reveals the invasive scope of the surveillance. The results indicate that socioeconomic variables weigh heavily in the scores, discriminating against people in precarious situations. The article argues that the algorithm reflects managerial and police logics, emphasizing the "fight against social fraud" at the expense of social solidarity. The need for a large-scale fight against these algorithmic control practices is emphasized.
Read it here.