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Racist Algorithms Still Flourish in 2020
It's more than just math
It’s understandable to think that algorithms that power Google searches or determine who gets an organ transplant can’t be racist or cause harm because they’re just math. But research has shown time and time again that algorithms pick up and echo the structural racism present in our society.
Investigative tech outlet The Markup wrote about some of 2020's most egregious examples of racist algorithms, including those used in policing.
For instance, Google’s advertising portal associated the phrase “Black girls,” “Asian girls,” and “Latina girls” with porn. But not the phrase “White girls.”
In medicine, Black patients are erroneously thought to have a higher risk for certain diseases, often derived from racist assumptions in past research. This can make it harder to get organ transplants. When this is coded into algorithms, racism is automated.
Read more at The Markup below:
