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AI tenant-screening tool SafeRent pays $2.28 million settlement for being massively racist (pivot-to-ai.com)

submitted 14 hours ago by ForgottenFlux@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

SafeRent is a machine learning black box for landlords. It gives landlords a numerical rating of potential tenants and a yes/no result on whether to rent to them.

In May 2022, Massachusetts housing voucher recipients and the Community Action Agency of Somerville sued the company, claiming SafeRent gave Black and Hispanic rental applicants with housing vouchers disproportionately lower scores.

The tenants had no visibility into how the algorithm scored them. Appeals were rejected on the basis that this was what the computer output said.

top 14 comments

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[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 hours ago

$2.28 million is pocket change for the capitalists, they will learn nothing

[–] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 hours ago

Crappy-ass fine and simply a "cost of doing business" for them I bet. Damages have been done for which there is no undoing. Deplorable.

[–] drdiddlybadger@pawb.social 80 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The land lords who used the service should also be held liable. You mean to tell me you get a report with a binary answer and you just trust it with no due diligence? If there is no penalty for blindly trusting an algorithm they will just move to the next tool they can use to be bigots.

[–] Randomgal@lemmy.ca 21 points 7 hours ago

Boy wait until you hear about credit scores...

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 35 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

If there are suicides linked to wronged applicants, they should be charged with at least "involuntary" manslaughter

[–] IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

How do you criminally charge an organization? Like who's reponsible? CEO? Stockholders? The Board of Directors?

[–] IcyToes@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

Well stockholders don't have executive capabilities. The CEO is responsible. Could hold board responsible too if they knew.

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 4 points 7 hours ago

You could revoke their corporate charter.

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 30 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Here's an explanation from the Associated Press. The penalty is usually a fine, which impacts stockholders by making the stock less valuable and could lead them to remove board members or demand the termination of executives. It's rarely used, but there is a corporate death penalty.

[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 19 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The fact that I’ve never heard of the corporate death penalty until now, but they’re bringing back the actual death penalty says everything.

[–] mriguy@lemmy.world 10 points 9 hours ago

"I'll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one."

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 24 points 14 hours ago

Now they're promising to only be pretty racist.

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 14 points 13 hours ago

OK some people got paid.. The problem didn't get solved

Classic america

[–] uis@lemm.ee 11 points 14 hours ago

There was lecture by Cory Doctrow about it.