In 2013, Harvard professor Latanya Sweeney found that racial discrimination pervades online advertising delivery. In a study, she found that searches on black-identifying names such as Revon, Lakisha, and Darnell are 25% more likely to be served with an ad from Instant Checkmate offering a background check to find out whether the person has been arrested. The exact cause is difficult to pinpoint without greater insight into the inner workings of Google AdSense than the company is willing to grant. Both Google and Instant Checkmate denied that they engaged in racial profiling.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/510646/racism-is-poisoning-online-ad-delivery-says-harvard-professor/
Writer: Technology Review
Publication: Technology Review
Publication date: 2013-02-04