An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hill: The White House has officially moved to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), a senior administration official confirmed Tuesday, breaking ties with a global public health body in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. has submitted its withdrawal notification to the United Nations secretary-general, the official…
Tag: bias
Racial bias is baked into algorithms doctors use to guide treatment
Biased algorithms wrongly adjust patients’ risk scores based on race. Source: https://www.livescience.com/racial-bis-health-care-algorithms.html
Managers who think gender bias isn’t a problem make it worse
A study of managers in veterinary medicine – where over half the workforce is female – finds that women are seen as less competent and worthy of lower salary compared with men with identical performance reviews Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2246958-managers-who-think-gender-bias-isnt-a-problem-make-it-worse/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm
In what may be the first known case of its kind, a faulty facial recognition match led to a Michigan man’s arrest for a crime he did not commit. From a report: On a Thursday afternoon in January, Robert Julian-Borchak Williams was in his office at an automotive supply company when he got a call from the Detroit Police Department telling…
Evolution: Why it seems to have a direction, and what to expect next
Does evolution always and inevitably generates greater diversity and complexity, having a predictable direction? Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/evolution-direction-what-to-expect-next…
IBM Gets Out of Facial Recognition Business, Calls On Congress To Advanced Policies Tackling Racial Injustice
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna called on Congress Monday to enact reforms to advance racial justice and combat systemic racism while announcing the company was getting out of the facial recognition business. CNBC reports: “IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human…
People Try To Do Right By Each Other, No Matter the Motivation, Study Finds
People want to help each other, even when it costs them something, and even when the motivations to help don’t always align, a new study suggests. Phys.Org reports: In research published today in the journal Science Advances, sociologists found that people overwhelmingly chose to be generous to others — even to strangers, and even when it seems one motivation to help…
Facebook To Block Ads From State-Controlled Media Entities In the US
Facebook said Thursday it will begin blocking state-controlled media outlets from buying advertising in the U.S. this summer. It’s also rolling out a new set of labels to provide users with transparency around ads and posts from state-controlled outlets. Outlets that feel wrongly labeled can appeal the process. Axios reports: Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, says the company hasn’t…
A memo Coursera CEO and executives sent to employees earlier today reaffirming Coursera’s actions to address racial injustice through learning
Team, We are all hurt and outraged by the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and by the bigotry that Christian Cooper experienced in New York City. These racist acts bring to the forefront the fears and injustices that Black Americans have faced every day for generations. As I shared with […]
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Lawsuit Says Trump’s Social Media Crackdown Violates Free Speech
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: President Trump’s crackdown on social media companies faced a new legal challenge on Tuesday, as a technology policy organization claimed in a lawsuit that he violated the companies’ right to free speech with his executive order aimed at curtailing their legal protections. The nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology says…