Twitter apologises for 'racist' image-cropping algorithm
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/sep/21/twitter-apologises-for-racist-image-cropping-algorithm
Twitter apologises for 'racist' image-cropping algorithm
Users highlight examples of feature automatically focusing on white faces over black ones
Alex Hern
Mon 21 Sep 2020 07.45 EDT
Twitter has apologised for a racist image cropping algorithm, after users discovered the feature was automatically focusing on white faces over black ones.
The company says it had tested the service for bias before it started using it, but now accepts that it didnt go far enough.
Twitter has long automatically cropped images to prevent them taking up too much space on the main feed, and to allow multiple pictures to be shown in the same tweet. The company uses several algorithmic tools to try to focus on the most important parts of the picture, trying to ensure that faces and text remain in the cropped part of an image.
But users began to spot flaws in the feature over the weekend. The first to highlight the issue was PhD student Colin Madland, who discovered the issue while highlighting a different racial bias in the video-conference software Zoom.
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