Profiling

"Human lives are increasingly constituted by flows of data. I can't think of any other treatment of this phenomenon that ranges so widely—and that manages to take its subject matter so seriously—while also handling it with a lightness of touch and a keen eye for an arresting anecdote. This is a remarkable book: erudite, entertaining, and profoundly disquieting."—Tim Lewens, author of The Meaning of Science "Huneman is a remarkable historian of science, and has also become an important commentator on current affairs. Profiling is an essential work." —Stefanos Geroulanos, author of The Invention of Prehistory "I highly recommend this eloquent and engaging book. Not only does Profiling unravel the complex mechanisms of digital servitude, but it does so in a straightforward and accessible way." —Bruno Perreau, author of Spheres of Injustice "The philosopher Philippe Huneman... demonstrates how we have become captive to data flows and aggregators, whether commercial corporations or public authorities. We are consumers consumed, evaluators evaluated, influencers influenced, all optimized by algorithms that establish blind correlations. Profiling is about aiming for an effect, a like, a purchase, a decision, a vote, in the absence of knowledge: 'content' replaces 'information.' A cult of efficiency that, according to Huneman, must be resisted." —Philosophie magazine