“The algorithmic policies embedded in online platforms have serious consequences on our lives but with weak accountability feedback loops regarding their effects. Can one really know how an algorithm influences or discriminates against people? Like any question of policy, it is necessary to distinguish between the policy objective, the policy itself, and the faithful execution of that policy. Yet, without transparent feedback loops, accountability is lacking in algorithmically mediated systems. Even if a user agrees with a stated policy, there are no means to verify its faithful execution in black-box code or take recourse in existing asymmetries between people and platforms.”