Racism In Online Ad Targeting

An anonymous reader writes "Most of us are familiar with advertisements in online web searching, and by now we've grown accustomed to scrolling past the 'sponsored' results to get to the real responses to our query. And we know the ads are context-sensitive; for example, searching for our favorite Federation Starship will bring up ads for a similarly-named car-rental agency. But now a Harvard University professor has found a more disturbing trend in those contextual ads: racism. 'Sweeney says she has evidence that black identifying names are up to 25 per cent more likely to be served with an arrest-related ad. "There is discrimination in delivery of these ads," she concludes. Sweeney gathered this evidence by collecting over 2000 names that were suggestive of race. For example, first names such as Trevon, Lakisha and Darnell suggest the owner is black while names like Laurie, Brendan and Katie suggest the owner is white. She then entered these plus surnames into Google.com and Reuters.com and examined the ads they returned. Most names generated ads for public records. However, black-identifying names turned out to be much more likely than white-identifying names to generate ads that including the word "arrest" (60 per cent versus 48 per cent).'"

Comments

Racism is a cause,

[YodasEvilTwin]

not an effect. Making use of stats is not racism. Racism is denying the fact that many blacks in the US have been disadvantaged and largely as a result are more likely to commit crimes and get arrested. Pretending the numbers don't exist is horrible.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[dehole]

One cannot escape that in the US, there are more black inmates than white or hispanic. The reason for their incarceration may be race related (eg the popular DWB: driving while black, crime that many innocent people are charged with), but the fact remains that yes, a higher percentage of black people in the US are in US jails with respect to white people.

Maybe we can take the time to find out why this is the case, and correct it, rather than pretend that using official stats is racist.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[AmiMoJo]

The problem is that it re-enforces the stereotype and actually does cause certain behaviour. If you constantly tell one group they are a bunch of criminals and just assume they are probably up to no good then you shouldn't be surprised when it turns out they are.

The point of treating everyone equally is to make it clear that regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation or whatever you have the same chance, the same opportunity to make something of yourself. Of course in reality not everyone has access to good schools or good jobs, but if you keep re-enforcing that imagine it strengthens it. We still need to push to level the playing field, despite all the progress that has been made.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Daetrin]

"Racism is denying the fact that many blacks in the US have been disadvantaged and largely as a result are more likely to get arrested."

Fixed that for you. Even when they haven't committed any crime non-white people in general and black people in particular are more likely to get harassed by cops. They're also more likely to be arrested if they have committed a crime and once arrested more likely to go to jail. That is especially the case if the crime is something relatively minor, say getting caught with pot. If you're white and well off that would probably be a wrist slap at worst. If you're black and poor however...

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Lord Apathy]

What I always find amazing is we like to point fingers at results and scream racism. How about we look at what caused the statiscs to be that way in the first place?

How about this for some hard core news? Black males between the ages of 13 and 30 commit more crimes per race than any other race. 1/3 of black males in that age group are ether, in prison, on parol, or waiting to be tried for something.

How about we stop bitch'n about the satistics and screaming racism about every little thing? Why don't we take our heads out of the sand and start looking at the real god damn problem and trying to fix it? No, its far easier to scream racism than to fix the god damn problem.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[arth1]

Black males between the ages of 13 and 30 commit more crimes per race than any other race

How do you know this? The stats show higher arrest and conviction rates, which does not imply a higher commit rate.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[VortexCortex]

Maybe we can take the time to find out why this is the case, and correct it, rather than pretend that using official stats is racist.

It's Self Correcting: For instance, I now realize the justice system is a farce, a sham, an actual injustice system in disguise -- I realized this after video footage of police having my car towed and accidentally dropping it on its side off a flat-bed trailer was disallowed by a judge in a case where I was being charged for leaving the scene of an accident: A "side-swipe" -- an event which never happened, and that I now have on my record.

So, the correction is as follows: Don't see crime and arrest related things as "bad". They exist, and arrest related services are extremely necessary if you live in a damned police state. When "Thug Life" can be embraced by pasty white nerds such as I, then ads related to arrest statistics is fine, it's good, it's not racism, it's targeting a legitimate need of those who say, "Fuck the Police."

What's racist is the "black identifying names" in TFA. Now that's racist. What? Because I'm a Caucasoid I can't be named a "black" name? Dark skinned folk can't be named "white" names? Fuck that. The "racism" their research discovers is due to self selecting phenomenon called: GIGO. Had they polled actual black identifying humans to discover their actual targeted advertising frequencies then their research may have had a shred of legitimacy.

If you REALLY want real answers for "why this is the case" WRT why "a higher percentage of black people in the US are in US jails" then you need go no further than analyzing corruption (including racism) in the police forces. What's the racial distribution of the law enforcers? The law is disproportionately enforced.

Copyright infringement is no longer a civil matter, it's been criminalized. You see? Police states eventually equalize the disproportionate felony frequency across all races: It's self correcting.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Beardo the Bearded]

Google adsense thinks I'm gay.

Apparently if you have an interest in weapons (I'm a military contractor) and yoga (and fitness instructor), you're also interested in an all-you-can-eat sausage buffet.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[PRMan]

You haven't identified the cause either. The most elite, wealthy, privileged blacks are still far more likely to commit crimes than the most disadvantaged non-blacks (including downtrodden whites in Appalachia, incredibly poor Asian immigrants with no English skills, etc).

Now THIS sounds like racism. I've known many wealthy blacks as well as wealthy whites and I personally don't know ANY wealthy blacks that have committed crimes, but I know several whites that have been arrested by the FBI or the cops for their shady business dealings or embezzlement. This is just one data point, but I would doubt very highly that the quoted statement is true.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Frojack123]

Or could it be that we already know what the cause is, but it is inconvenient to mention it?

Black cops arrest black perps at least at the same rate as white cops.
Black Judges sentence black criminals to terms that do not differ from those by White Judges.
Citation Here.

There is some evidence that Black Officers arrest blacks at a higher rate than white officers,
probably because they don't have to be worried about being charged with racism.

Findings suggest that officer race has direct influence on arrest outcomes and there are substantive differences between White and Black officers in the decision to arrest. In general, White officers in our study were more likely to arrest suspects than Black officers, but Black suspects were more likely to be arrested when the decision maker was a Black officer.

Why is it racist to use black crime statistics, but not sexist to use male crime statistics?

Re:Racism is a cause,

[PRMan]

Not to mention that most people in prison don't have father figures in their lives, which means that marriage has a strong positive effect on society. But most people don't want to hear that morals were invented by people who wanted better societies and that's why they should be followed, they want to do their own thing and screw everyone else.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[cayenne8]

This is exactly what I've said over and over. Honestly, I believe we don't go looking for the problem because we are afraid of what we might find. Well high time we find out why the stats are coming out like this and find the real problem.

I don't suppose you would ever accept the answer being something along the lines of "because they are committing the majority of the crimes in the US"?

Nah..it couldn't possibly be that simple.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[phantomfive]

I am sympathetic to blacks who live in places with racist judges, however, it's important to remember that any attempt to equalize the incarceration rate is doomed to fail if it doesn't take into account that black people commit crime at a higher rate than white people. That's the unfortunate reality, and it's not racist unless you consider statistics to be racist.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[FatdogHaiku]

Well, when you lay it all out like that I have to know, years ago did you rear-end a black guy named Green?

Re:Racism is a cause,

[tbird81]

So how many people did they rape? You know, attack a woman, hold her down, beat the shit out of her, then forcefully have sex with her, kick her in the head and leave her for dead alone in an alleyway?

Why are you obsessed with the monetary amount of damage? It's just money. The biggest criminals and the people who destroy human life and dignity.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[hairyfish]

Quality vs Quantity I'll take 100 corrupt bankers any day over 10 guys with guns raping and murdering at will.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Jerslan]

Wow... More racism... I suppose anyone with an Irish last name can't be called "White" either...

Historical Note: Less than 100 years ago Irish were still treated as a separate race from "real Whites".

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Daetrin]

I'm not going to argue that it's impossible that black people actually commit more crimes than white people, but i'm curious what statistics you're citing and how that data was gathered.

Let's imagine some mythical town which is 50% white and 50% black and whose judicial system is entirely free from irrational racism. However they rationally note that last year statistics showed black people were more likely to commit crimes than white people. So the cops pull over more black people and send out more patrols to predominately black neighborhoods. That's the rational thing to do after all. And surprise surprise! More black people end up getting arrested. So the statistics next year show black people are more likely to commit crimes. However a closer look at the data shows that both blacks and whites were equally likely to end up getting arrested after getting pulled over, and patrols in white neighborhoods had the same average number of arrests as patrols in black neighborhoods. Without any intentional racism on anyone's part racism still exists in the system just because of people blindly following statistics.

I'm not saying we need to mandate equal incarceration rates. But everyone should be treated equally regardless of what statistics might say about the likelihood of "someone like them" having committed a crime. And if there is some statistical evidence that one group is committing more crime and/or ending up in jail more then we shouldn't be using that as a justification for treating the two groups differently, we should instead be taking a long hard and in-depth look at why the statistics are that way.

However we're still at the point where some groups are being punished disproportionately for the same crime on a nationwide basis.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[sumdumass]

Art imitating reality or reality providing useful art?

Or is there a difference?
My guess is that if you want to look like a scary thug, people will tend to treat you like a scary thug. If you don't want to be singled out, then don't do things to single you out.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[TsuruchiBrian]

Not to mention that most people in prison don't have father figures in their lives, which means that marriage has a strong positive effect on society.

Actually it doesn't mean that at all. It *could* be true. But it *could* just be a correlation. You have to do actual statistics to figure out if there is a causal relationship.

A shockingly high percentage of people going to the hospital die within days of their visit. Clearly hospitals are bad for your health.

It could simply be that some other factor is causing both the criminality and the lack of fathers. In which case, simply getting married, will not fix the problem of criminality. Just like how not going to the hospital will not keep you from dying.

Morality was not invented by people who wanted better societies. Morality is not invented by anyone. Morality in humans is the result of billions of years of evolution. We are a social species and a moral compass is advantageous to the survival of the species. It also exists in different forms in other social animals. And it existed in humans well before any of the great philosophers like Rawls or Kant. They simply added to our collective understanding of morality.

Some people conflate morality with some kind of "universal" Christian morality, but there is no objective set of moral axioms. It was moral for Inuits to kill their first baby if it was a girl. It was moral for Chistians and Muslims to have slaves. Morality evolves. There is no reason that marriage or fathers *should* have anything to do with morality.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Caesar Tjalbo]

I wonder what kind of dating sites you get with a catholic name, or maybe you'll get links for kindergartens straight away.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[mcgrew]

I don't suppose you would ever accept the answer being something along the lines of "because they are committing the majority of the crimes in the US"?

Nah..it couldn't possibly be that simple.

Only superficially. A larger percentage of blacks than percentage of whites are poor, and poverty and crime go hand in hand. Have a kid grow up in a poor family with no hope of ever getting a decent education, a future, a life, where everyone he knows is a criminal destined for the grave pr prison, and guess what happens? No matter what color he is?

Yes, the problem is indeed simple. The solution doesn't seem to be.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Anonymous Coward]

your fantasy where every banker and politician is a rapist who can pay off any woman.

Worked for Strass-Khan.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[bitt3n]

The problem is that it re-enforces the stereotype and actually does cause certain behaviour. If you constantly tell one group they are a bunch of criminals and just assume they are probably up to no good then you shouldn't be surprised when it turns out they are.

The point of treating everyone equally is to make it clear that regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation or whatever you have the same chance, the same opportunity to make something of yourself. Of course in reality not everyone has access to good schools or good jobs, but if you keep re-enforcing that imagine it strengthens it. We still need to push to level the playing field, despite all the progress that has been made.

So what do you propose? That Google censor itself in the interest of inducing desired behavior (in this case, law-abidance) in some subsection of the population? Considering the types of organizations that historically have attempted to improve a society by controlling 'dangerous' information, that seems a dubious idea.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[clarkkent09]

Blacks were poor in the 50s but had the same rate of incarceration as whites even though they faced much greater discrimination than today: http://spiritofcontradiction.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/incarceration.jpg

The difference was that in the 50s the black family was as strong as white family (as measured by the number of children raised by single parents). Since the "sexual liberation" in the 60s the black family has basically disintegrated. The number of black kids raised by single matter went up from 20s% to >70%. White kids also started from around 20% but only went up to 35%. It corresponds very nicely with the difference in incarceration rates.

The different response to the breakup of traditional family values can be explained by the fact that white families had greater roots in those traditions that were harder to break. It is the poorest who are always most vulnerable to great social change.

Maybe centuries old traditions of religion and family life are not based on stupid superstitions as many people educated beyond the level of their intelligence seem to think these days, but on the experience of what works and what doesn't that evolved over many centuries?

Re:Racism is a cause,

[sjames]

You have a much better chance of defending yourself form the 10 murder/rapists.

It's odd really, if someone breaks into your house and tries to take your TV, you can shoot him dead. If a rich white banker crashes the economy and takes your entire house, you can't even get near him, much less legally shoot him. Even the most prolific burglar cannot rob as many people in his lifetime as the bankers did in less than 10 years. The TV thief at least has the decency to not wipe out your job as well.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[argStyopa]

Let's apply the "look at all the blacks in prison, it MUST be racism" logic another way:

What % of inmates are male? 90%? 95%?

CLEARLY, that's a result of sexism on the part of the arresting officers, judges, juries and the entire system are biased against men, because if they weren't, a majority of the prison population would be women, right?

Sounds stupid in that context doesn't it?

Ask yourself why.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[pod]

"What's racist is the "black identifying names" in TFA. Now that's racist. What? Because I'm a Caucasoid I can't be named a "black" name? Dark skinned folk can't be named "white" names? Fuck that."

Again, not racist, just numbers, statistics. A person named "Lakisha" is far far more likely to be black than white. Why are people getting angry at numbers? Is an expert or heuristic system "racist" when it determines this to be the case?

Re:Racism is a cause,

[LynnwoodRooster]

The biggest criminals in the US are rich white men.

The amount of petty theft in the history of the US pales in comparison to what the bankers got away with in 2008.

I know I'll get modded down, but consider this: the bankers you rail against were basically ignored by the two black men who could have put them away: Attorney General Holder and President Obama. Perhaps it's the fact that Obama received nearly $20 million in donations in 2007 from banks and financial institutions (compared to $11 million for John McCain)? In other words, they got off not because they were white, but because they dropped big time money into the coffers of the only person who could really do anything about their actions...

Re:Racism is a cause,

[Shompol]

Interesting theory. Never mind that the chart you linked does not support your claim: the ratio was 1 to 4 in the 50's and climbed to 1 to 7. The difference is not as dramatic as the fact that overall incarcerations increased 7-fold! US is truly turning into a factory of slaves.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[ScentCone]

Just what do you suggest that said black males do about that?

For the ones that actually do come across that way (just like their white, or latino or any other counterparts who do), knock it off with the thuggish body language, thug-life clothing, the deliberately hostile stares and glares, and all the rest of the deliberate trappings meant to give people the impression that they're dangerous. Because that's exactly where that vibe comes from. Sure, some people see that, calibrate to it, and then extend the impression erroneously to others that superficially look similar. But we all know exactly what gives people that impression, and see that it's cultivated, sold, and celebrated by some slices of pop culture.

We can't push that stuff while in the same breath complaining when it impacts people's impression of entire swaths of culture that embrace it as cool.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[tbird81]

When you lose all your money, you don't become a homeless bum on the streets. That's not how it works.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[smellotron]

The only things they got right were that I am a man and think dinosaurs are cool

Perhaps their logic system simply discovered IsMan -> LikesDinosaurs. Roar!

Re:Racism is a cause,

[snerdy]

Ask yourself why.

That's an interesting thought. The simplest explanation, though, is probably that racism and sexism aren't the same thing -- they have different root causes, different modes of expression and different results.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[serviscope_minor]

Stop being obsessed with money!

Yeah, fuckers. It's not like you need money to buy food or shelter. Stop being so fucking shallow and go live under a bridge and eat dirt you money obsessessed fuckers. Jesus Christ it's not like you need to stay alive. You can't take your life with you.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[ZigiSamblak]

You don't just have to look at the fact that there is a disproportionate amount of black people in jail, there are more disturbing statistics:

- A report by the Department of Justice found that blacks and Hispanics were approximately three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop than white motorists.
- Black and Hispanic students represent more than 70 percent of those involved in school-related arrests or referrals to law enforcement.
- The U.S. Sentencing Commission stated that in the federal system black offenders receive sentences that are 10 percent longer than white offenders for the same crimes.

But the most interesting statistic for this debate is this:

- The war on drugs has been waged primarily in communities of color where people of color are more likely to receive higher offenses.

So for a black person living up in a poor community in the USA (which is likely since a much larger percentage of hispanic and black people live in poor areas) you are basically branded as a criminal from birth. And you have a one in three chance of going to prison. Black people are aware of this of course, when society already treats you as a criminal due to the way you look then what motivation do you have to work hard to become a respected citizen? Especially when you are often put at a disadvantage.

I live in the Netherlands where the role blacks used to have ("passing the black pete" is an expression meaning passing the blame in Dutch) is now passed on to the Maroccans. I remember working in a toy store for a short time 10 years ago. One of the first things the manager told me was to keep an eye on Maroccans if I saw them enter the store. I remember thinking that I couldn't really blame them for living up to their reputation if I ever caught them stealing. Why even try to become a valued member of a society that will not accept you as an equal?

So if you want to keep entertaining the thought that there must be something wrong with black people that makes them more criminal than other races then you should keep ignoring the fact that in most other cultures there are other minorities who get blamed for most crap and consequently have a hard time in life which stimulates more criminal behaviour. Rinse and repeat.

Re:Racism is a cause,

[sudon't]

The difference is the drug war. While drugs have been illegal since the early 20th century, police focused on actual crime up until the seventies. When that focus changed to drugs, that's when black incarceration rates shot up so dramatically. Not that it's as simple as cops making more drug arrests. But that, coupled with the effects these increased arrests had on the black market, and the neighborhoods it operated in, and the way it operates in those neighborhoods, all resulted in excessive incarceration rates. And yeah, racism.

Not to sound insensitive

[Anonymous Coward]

But does anyone know what the most popular names associated with arrest rates happen to be? Maybe there's actual correlation there?
And I'm not saying that's correct either, since there is likely strong racial bias in many arrests made by officers themselves...

Re:Not to sound insensitive

[oic0]

Arrests are debatable like you said, police bias. Murder rates however are not. there is a corpse to show for it. The murder rate difference is MASSIVE, and I mean massive. Exponential. All the talk of gun violence in the US usually leaves out that fact when comparing us to other countries. For instance, our white murder rate is very close to that of most European countries with gun bans. One race is a bit of a ringer and throws our stats way off by being 13% of the population but accounting for over 50% of murder.

Racism gotten to the point

[hsmith]

Where people don't really understand what real racism actually is anymore.

Which I guess is a good thing? But, it makes people that try to bend anything to be racism as complete fools.

Re:Racism gotten to the point

[dbet]

Uh, no. Race exists in all species, it is a subdivision of that species, just like species is a subdivision of a genus. In dogs we call them breeds. Where the boundaries lie between races is somewhat arbitrary. Between these groups, physical and biological differences are the rule, not the exception. If it helps you to call them "ethnicities", go right ahead, because those differences are smaller but still exist.

This doesn't mean an individual is defined by his or her race, only that they tend toward different means than those of other races. Nor does it excuse discrimination under the law, or treating members of some races poorly simply because they're a member of that race.

This is scientific, biological reality. Even if all the races died except for one, in 50,000 years there would be multiple races again, provided different populations were allowed to separate entirely for a while.

Re:Racism gotten to the point

[buybuydandavis]

Genes are racist!

Not Racism

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not racism if the ads were being generated purely on statistical models. It may be a sad reflection of the state of African-Americans, but unless you can show how people have manipulated the process for some reason, it's merely statistics.

It's not racist it's marketing 101

[wmbetts]

If these keywords weren't generating revenue for the ad buyers they wouldn't bid on them. It's really that simple. Those names make money for marketers with those ads.

Re:It's not racist it's marketing 101

[Dishwasha]

Yeah, Google doesn't really have anything to do with this. Advertisers are purchasing on certain keywords and then choosing what to display for those ads, not Google.

Namism

[Bigby]

This isn't racism; it is namism. Nowhere in the process is race ever part of the equation. If people named "Shaquille" are 5x more like to commit crimes, then that is a stereotype of the name "Shaquille"...a namist conclusion.

Our facination or eagerness to link things to skin color is really counterproductive and ignores the real issue. IMO, names bring about stereotypes moreso than skin color. It spans gender, language, and race. What would you think the first time you saw someone with the last name "Hitler"?

Re:Namism

[Archangel Michael]

If I act like a stereotype, should I be upset when people treat me like a stereotype? But certain cultures eschew normalization in favor of maintaining stereo types, because it is a defining feature.

Reality in politically incorrect

[onyxruby]

Pick a subject, any subject, the reality of that subject is politically incorrect to someone, somewhere. You are politically incorrect to your ancestors just as your descendants will condemn you for being politically incorrect. I say this and it doesn't matter who you, what your culture is, where you live, your religion (or lack of religion) what your values are, what your accomplishments are or any other given thing. History is politically incorrect and it will remain that way because that is human nature.l

Articles like this are rage mongering and professional trolling deserve to admonished. A little more tolerance by society would go a lot longer to ease race / religious / gender / etc relations that mongering articles like this ever will. It's why MLK was so popular and the like's of Jessie Jackson can never get past 3rd rate achievers. It's the difference between trolling for dollars and dreaming of tolerance.

/rant off

Re:Reality in politically incorrect

[JubilantShank]

I believe that "Political Correctness" is, in a way, a subtle method used to change the way people think. In some cases, I suppose that's good, but is there anything actually wrong with calling Christmas just that - "Christmas"? Yeah, sure the name has religious roots, but when you trace the history back, the date was chosen to coincide with a Pagan holiday. Basically, just let it be. I instead try to follow "Plain Speaking" - in other words, it's OK to say a black person is a "Black", as opposed to "African-American" (which is inaccurate in any case since most black people in America were born here, and didn't immigrate from Africa). We'll get MUCH more done as a society if we all stop being so easily offended.

Targeted Ads

[Java Pimp]

Targeted ads are by definition discriminating.

Now if names can be racially identifying....

[bickerdyke]

isn't it racist to give them to your kids?

Re:Now if names can be racially identifying....

[heefeneet]

Well fuck my youngest is screwed then. Everyone will think he is some sort of French epic hero.

You named him * ?

Not racism

[markdavis]

This is not "racism". Racism is a belief that one race is superior to another and/or a hatred or intolerance of another race.

At most, this is prejudice.

Sounds like Bowfinger

[Dave Emami]

Kit: The letter K appears in this script 1,456 times. That's perfectly divisible by 3.
Freddy: So what? So what you saying?
Kit: What am I saying? KKK appears in this script 486 times!

I am not a statistician...

[rmdingler]

However, I have a keen proficiency when it comes to grasping the obvious. Black people make better running backs than white people. Asian's named Nguyen are more likely than white's named Cletus to get academic scholarships. At a Bar, an Hispanic male in his 20's is a much better percentage bet for party favors than a 50-something white woman. Should I be offended that Google singles me out for testosterone supplements?

Re:Last name is black

[Stormwatch]

It's mustn't be easy being Green.

It's Not Stats, It's Racism

[reallocate]

Yes, its stats. That's not the point. The study illustrates the racism that is endemic in society. Not just the U.S., but in every human society.

When a business targets African-Americans by buying names associated with African-Americans, that's textbook racism. Why? Because it's making assumptions about individuals based on their membership in a group.

Ditto the self-serving argument that "Racism is denying the fact that many blacks in the US have been disadvantaged and largely as a result are more likely to commit crimes and get arrested". Applying perceived generalizations about a group to individuals you do not know is textbook racism.

Racism wasn't some passing phase of American history.

The NERVE!

[mythosaz]

What's next? Serving up maxi-pad ads to female names?

I'm calling my congressperson.

Algorithms have no intent

[gestalt_n_pepper]

They reflect searched content as written and only show the inherent racism of content generated across the web.

Names of Those Arrested

[sycodon]

I don't supposed she checked out the names of all the folks arrested. She might find that there is evidence there that suggests Google is merely following the numbers.

Now, she could argue that law enforcement is discriminatory. But that would be even more support for Google's efforts being evidence based and not a result of bias. It doesn't matter if you were arrested because of what you did or because of your name or color. You still need to make bail and get a lawyer.

Who knows how it works

[pclminion]

I keep getting ads for bail bonds and DUII attorneys. This started happening lately -- the only change in my behavior lately is that I've stopped buying and drinking beer (reasons to do with the circumference of my waistline). While it's extremely disturbing, I wouldn't be surprised if that information -- somehow -- is filtering back to Internet ad companies. Who the fuck knows how they know, but they do.

I know all kinds... all kinds....

[erroneus]

I know pathetically stupid, loser asian people. I know highly inteligent and educated black people. I know a lot of people who most definitely defy the stereotypes which we are all very aware of. But there was a time when I would have defended the practices being described. I will not defend them. It's rather disgusting if this is the truth.

But all that said, stereotypes exist because of an overwhelming preponderance of anecdotal evidence. And in the end, advertisers want to get their ads in front of the people who would be the most interested in seeing them, So in "bad neighborhoods" we see billboards for bondsmen and lawyers among other things. And I have even seen this online when I am in areas with wifi in bad neighborhoods. While disgusting, it would not be practiced if it weren't also effective. So we shouldn't be asking "why are advertisers responding to statistical evidence?" We should be asking how can we make positive changes that result in a change in statistics!

Because if we are seeing to have a practice which is largely based on statistical evidence, we are merely seeking to institutionalize denial of the truth. I'm just not inclined to deny a problem when solving it would seem more appropriate.

Re:Close but not quite

[Obfuscant]

Some parents may deliberately do this in order to provide "teachable moments" for both their own children and people who interact with their kids.

Unfortunately, what is often taught from this is not that there are some racist people and that you need to work around them because you will never be able to force them to change, but that every bad thing that ever happens to you is because everyone who is different than you is a racist towards you and they need to be forced to stop. As in, the reason you weren't hired for that job is because the employer is a different color than you are, not that you didn't graduate from second grade, you smoke a rock as soon as you get up in the morning just to get your day started right, have 83 tattoos counting the ones on your face alone, and can't spell the word "I".

It's the same kind of lesson that the welfare system (and proponents) teaches: you can't succeed on your own, you need the government to give you things for free. (You don't need the baby daddy to stick around to support you, the government will do that. What do you mean the kid needs a father? That's trying to impose MORALS on someone!)

That leads to things like kerfluffles over the use of the word "niggardly", and "affirmative action" where the only reason one person was hired over another is fear of reprisals from a minority group and not because the person who was hired is more qualified for the job.

If anyone does really name their children based on trying to teach them about racism, then those parents should have made better use of birth control.

Dr. Latanya Sweeney?

[mopower70]

I can't imagine how anyone with a name like that would have a personal bias in interpreting these results. No sirree.

Re:OK, choose one:

[tbird81]

I'm sure there is.

It's just money.

Re:OK, choose one:

[Pfhorrest]

It's being unable to pay the rent when your body and mind give out in your old age and you're unable to work, leaving you dying cold and alone in the streets.

Just money my ass.