Breaking digital silence: AI, structural bias, and the uneven landscape of whistleblowing
摘要
Whistleblowing has long been framed as a universal act of speaking truth to power. This paper argues that in AI-dependent environments, this act is structurally mediated by technology, introducing new dimensions of disadvantage for marginalized individuals. Bridging epistemic injustice theory and critical algorithm studies, we develop a novel conceptual framework: Algorithmic Disclosure Injustice. This framework captures how digital whistleblowing is undermined by (1) Algorithmic Testimonial Injustice, where machine-mediated credibility deficits dismiss reports from marginalized groups, and (2) Platform Structural Injustice, where the design of digital infrastructures creates hierarchical barriers to disclosure. Through an interpretive theorizing approach and a problematizing review of cases—from content moderators in Kenya to gig workers—we analyze this landscape through three lenses: algorithmic culture, platform structures, and intersectional experiences. Our analysis reveals how technical systems codify biased credibility norms and how workers develop adversarial digital literacies to resist suppression. This work challenges the myth of digital neutrality, advances a new theoretical vocabulary for scholars of technology and ethics, and provides urgent directions for the equity-centered design of disclosure infrastructures.