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Tech NewsFTC Says Racist Algorithms Could Get You In a Lot of Trouble
Tentatively excellent news! The FTC has declared that it is serious about racist algorithms, and it will hold businesses legally accountable for using them. In a friendly-reminder type announcement today, it said that businesses selling and/or using racist algorithms could feel the full force of their legal might. “Fortunately, while the sophisticated technology may be … Continued
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io9Big Mouth‘s Code-Switching Story Was a Fun, Wild Mess
After three filthy seasons of poking fun at the gross realities of being a stressed-out, hormonal teenager navigating the treacherous waters of junior high, the creative team behind Netflix’sBig Mouth finally came to their senses last year. They realized that Missy, one of the show’s leading characters of color, embodied one of its biggest blind … Continued
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io9MoviesLetitia Wright Responds to Backlash for Sharing Transphobic, Antivax Video
In yet another example of how the best rule of thumb is to simply never tweet, Black Panther star Letitia Wright has found herself on the receiving end of a significant amount of backlash from the public. This came after she shared a video of a YouTuber who questioned the seriousness of the ongoing covid-19 … Continued
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io9MoviesJoss Whedon’s Lawyers Deny Ray Fisher’s Newest Allegations
When Ray Fisher came forward with allegations earlier this year saying Joss Whedon created a toxic, abusive work environment on the set of Justice League, within a month, Warner Bros. launched an internal investigation into the matter. The studio then claimed Fisher refused to cooperate. There’s now another chapter to all of this. As some … Continued
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io9MoviesReport: Mulan Press Coverage Is Being Blocked by the Chinese Government
Though Disney’s live-action Mulan remake is only just now hitting VOD in certain markets—ahead of a cinematic release in territories where movie theaters have been allowed to reopen—the movie’s already come under a significant amount of fire, first for its star’s pro-police comments regarding the protests in Hong Kong, and now for Disney’s decision to … Continued
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Tech NewsPinterest Employees Plan Walkout Following Multiple Discrimination Allegations
Following damning allegations of gender discrimination that surfaced in a lawsuit filed earlier this week by the company’s former chief operating officer, Françoise Brougher, it appears Pinterest employees are organizing a walkout tomorrow, Aug. 14. The Washington Post’s Nitasha Tiku on Thursday tweeted links to a pair of sites about the action, a website at the … Continued
By Catie Keck -
io9Daredevil Actor Peter Shinkoda Says Jeph Loeb Told Writers Not to Develop Asian Characters
In an effort to drum up support for a revival of Netflix’s now-canceled Daredevil live-action series, the #SaveDaredevil campaign recently gathered a trio of actors from the show to field questions from the fandom and to talk about their experiences shooting. While much of the conversation centered on positive experiences the actors had on set, … Continued
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Tech NewsSocial MediaFacebook Researchers Say Higher-Ups Ignored Their Findings on Instagram’s Racist Algorithm: Report
During a study in mid-2019, a team of Facebook employees found that proposed rules for Instagram’s automated account removal system disproportionately flagged and banned Black users. When the team approached CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his upper echelon of cronies with this alarming information, they were purportedly ignored and told to halt any further research regarding … Continued
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io9MoviesAnthony Mackie Rightfully Calls Marvel Out for Its Lack of Diversity Behind the Camera
Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson is set to become one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s key power players in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Disney+’s upcoming series that follows its titular Avengers as they keep fighting the good superhero fight. Sam’s newfound prominence tracks closely with the character’s path to becoming Captain America in Marvel’s … Continued
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Tech NewsAfter Screaming About Discrimination, Ex-Google Engineer James Damore Silently Asks Court to Dismiss Lawsuit
More than two years later, the battle between ex-Google engineer James Damore and the company is over, although we won’t know much about how it ended. Earlier this week, Damore and three other men asked a California court to dismiss the lawsuit, which claimed that the company discriminated against conservative white men. Google also joined their … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsAlabama Disavows Plan to Deny Ventilators to Covid-19 Patients With Disabilities
Alabama no longer plans to deny ventilators to people with cognitive disabilities if hospital equipment becomes scarce, according to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Alabama’s plan, originally published in 2010, would have taken away life-saving ventilators from people with intellectual disabilities if there were not enough to treat all covid-19 patients … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsFormer Google Exec Says He Was Forced Out for Opposing Company’s Pivot to Evil
A onetime top Google executive, former head of international relations Ross LaJeunesse, is now publicly alleging that the company abandoned its “Don’t be evil” ethos because it was more interested in chasing “bigger profits and an even higher stock price.” LaJeunesse, who is now running for Senate as a Democrat in Maine, is one of … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsWeWork, Former CEO Adam Neumann Accused of Rampant Pregnancy and Gender Discrimination
WeWork and its chief investor, SoftBank, recently paid out WeWork co-founder and self-declared candidate for “President of the World” Adam Neumann to the tune of $1.7 billion just to get his ass out the door amid the company’s disastrous collapse. And he’s left quite a mess behind, with a proposed class-action complaint brought by a … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthHow a ‘Neutral’ Health Algorithm Ended Up Hurting Black Patients
A health care algorithm used in hospitals across the U.S. has been discriminating against black patients, according to new research. The study found that the algorithm consistently prioritized less-sick white patients and screened out black patients from a program meant to help people who need more intensive care. Predictive algorithms have found their way into … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsGoogle Fails to Have Lawsuit Originally Brought by James Damore Thrown Out
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Brian Walsh rejected tech giant Google’s efforts to have a lawsuit originally brought by ex-Google engineer James Damore dismissed, the Mercury News reported on Friday, meaning that the case can now proceed into the discovery phase. Google fired Damore in August 2017 after he authored a lengthy anti-diversity document … Continued
By Tom McKay
