• Biased algorithms produce biased outcomes. This can lead to discriminatory practices against Black individuals in areas like housing, hiring processes, healthcare, criminal justice risk assessments, and more. 

• Lack of transparency and accountability in how this data is collected and how these algorithms are developed make it harder to correct these biases.

•  A study done by the federal government in the United States showed that African American and Asian faces were up to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white faces. Studies have found that facial recognition is less accurate in identifying people with darker skin tones—especially women. 

• Law enforcement agencies often use advanced surveillance techniques to collect information about people who haven’t been suspected of a crime, claiming it keeps communities safe. 

• Especially in the context of protesting and predictive policing, data collection through facial recognition can result in the misidentification of Black individuals or false positive matches in image databases.

• Tech companies and data brokers profit from personal data collection, oft without clear consent from users.

• This data can be used to create user profile that may exacerbate and reinforce existing stereotypes and false narratives.

• This is extremely harmful on social media platforms that promote popular content regardless of its dishonesty or falseness.

• Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protects online platforms from liability for what their users do on it. This allows Big Tech companies to avoid accountability and continue to spread harmful  misinformation through paid/targeted ads and/or algorithmic recommendations.

• There is a need for both federal and state-level comprehensive legislation directly regulating the accessibility of and manipulation of AI based systems, as well as policies that require companies to be more transparent and proactive in  eliminating biases and fixing automated decision-making systems.

• Complex privacy policies and opt-out systems are often confusing by design, making it difficult for individuals to understand how their personal information being used. 

• Platforms have been known to use automated systems that unfairly target and remove content from Black users, often without a way for them to seek clarification or a remedy if they feel they’ve been unfairly targeted. This limits their voices while a company claims to be enforcing community guidelines. 

• Fact-Checking Initiatives That Don’t Address Root Causes of Misinformation: Some platforms label false information, but don’t fix the algorithms that promo sensational content. As a result, misinformation continues to spread to Black people. 

• Broad Content Removal Policies Used Against Activists: Platforms use broad policies to remove content, often stifling the voice of activists are disproportionately impacting Black communities working for justice.

Color of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, highlighting how data collection, surveillance, and algorithmic bias can perpetuate racial discrimination in areas like criminal justice, employment, and housing.Through five core initiatives, the organization lea campaigns that challenge injustice, hold corporate and political leaders accountable, commission game-changing research on systems of inequality, and advance solutions for racial justice that can transform our world. As part of their newly launched Black Tech Agenda, the COC advocates for stronger data privacy protections, federal AI disclosure requirements, and banning harmful technologies while simultaneously holding Big Tech corporations accountable.

Contact giving@colorofchange.org to discuss the impact your gift could have. 

The Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law is a think tank focused on privacy and surveillance law and policy, dedicated to protecting privacy rights, with a focus on the impact of surveillance on historically marginalized communities. As a leader at the intersection of privacy 

and civil rights, the center has published various publications addressing how surveillance technology tracks individuals, its impacts on members of marginalized communities, and government decision-making for tech policies. The center also co-hosted the annual Privacy Law Scholars in May 2024 alongside the Institute for Technology Law & Policy.

Contact giving@georgetown.edu to discuss the impact your gift could have. 

Located in Washington, DC, EPIC is a public interest research center that seeks to protect privacy, freedom of expression and democratic values. As one of the leading consumer privacy organizations in the country, EPIC has received top rankings from Guidestar (“Gold”) and Charity Navigator (“Four Star”) for transparency and accountability and is also supported by “cy pres awards”, demonstrating their devotion to privacy education and protection. EPIC has launched several campaigns focused on addressing bias and promoting human privacy rights, including the Screening and Scoring Project as well as AI and Human Rights Project.

Contact info@epic.org to discuss the impact your gift could have.

The Algorithmic Justice League is an organization that combines art and research to illuminate the social implications and harms of artificial intelligence. The AJL's mission is to rai awareness about the impacts of AI, equip advocates with empirical research, build the voice and choice of the most impacted communities, and galvanize researchers, policy makers, and industry practitioners to mitigate AI harms and biases.

Contact ajl.org/contact to discuss the impact your gift could have.