Technology is meant to improve our lives, but that doesn’t always happen.
As a new Consumer Reports investigation reveals, some of the things that power our lives each day can contain hidden biases that result in unfair practices toward communities of color.
For decades, people of color were kept out of home ownership, a practice called redlining. Though redlining is now illegal, the results have not changed.
“The information used in redlining has largely been fed into new algorithms that are essentially doing the same kind of thing without the racist overtones,” Consumer Reports’ Brian Vines said.
A new Consumer Reports documentary series, Bad Input, sheds light on the ways in which technology is failing in home lending, medicine and facial recognition and security.
That raises the question: Can technology be racist?
“The answer is yes,” Vines said. “Frankly, tech can be racist. If tech is fed bad information, it will continue to give us bad outputs.”
Can tech discriminate? Consumer Reports investigates (KOMO News)
During the pandemic, pulse oximeters helped save lives. A study done by experts at the University of Michigan showed the technology was not as accurate for Black patients versus white patients.
“People of color were presenting and getting wrong readings,” Vines said. “It delayed the care that they were able to receive and could really have some dire consequences if you’re showing up and your blood oxygen level is incorrect.”
You may not notice it, but facial recognition technology can be found everywhere, on your phone, at the self-checkout at a store or standing in line at an event and security is scanning.
“We’ve seen cases across the country of people being misidentified and facing criminal charges,” Vines said.
Some ways to use technology responsibly include limiting the following activities: posting pictures of yourself or family on social media, joining a public Wi-Fi network or signing up for something that requires personal information.
