Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

This article was originally published by fordfoundation.org and can be viewed in full here

It seems like everyone is talking about the power of big data and how it is helping companies, governments, and organizations make better and more efficient decisions. But rarely do they mention that big data can actually perpetuate and exacerbate existing systems of racism, discrimination, and inequality.

Big data is supposed to make life better. There are also broader public applications, such as predicting (and thus more quickly responding to) outbreaks of disease based on online search patterns of symptoms.

The problem with big data is that its application and use is not impartial or unbiased. Harvard professor Latanya Sweeney, who also directs the university’s Data Privacy Lab, conducted a cross-country study of 120,000 Internet search ads and found repeated incidence of racial bias.

To watch video on one of many research studies showing similar bias visit: https://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/equals-change-blog/posts/can-computers-be-racist-big-data-inequality-and-discrimination/

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