‘Algorithms of oppression’: Big tech urged to combat discrimination

Beyond search engines, Noble said she was also concerned about algorithms used in a whole suite of technologies – from predictive policing software to facial recognition tools, or social media platforms that accelerate disinformation. — Reuters

Nearly a decade has passed since Safiya Noble googled “Black girls” and found the search results were mostly pornographic – a discovery that drove her to explore how algorithms can perpetuate discrimination and inequality.

Google went on to fix that search engine issue, but Noble said the problem is far from solved. Research this year found Google’s advertising platform linked the search phrases “Black girls”, “Latina girls”, and “Asian Girls” to adult content ads.