Are AdSense Ads Racist?
Google AdSense was more likely to deliver ads suggesting an arrest record in response to search queries including names that predominantly belong to black people, according to a study conducted by Harvard University's Data Privacy Lab.
Google AdSense is more likely to deliver ads suggesting an arrest record in response to search queries including names that predominantly belong to black people, according to a study conducted by Harvard University’s Data Privacy Lab.
The researchers used Google to search 2,184 racially associated names — such as Latanya, which generally refers to a black woman, and Emma, which generally refers to a white woman.
The names often generated ads sponsored by InstantCheckmate.com. In response to searches for black names, InstantCheckmate returned mentions of arrest, such as “Latanya Sweeney, Arrested?,” more than 80 percent of the time.
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