WASHINGTON: US lawmakers proposed a bill on Wednesday that would require major tech companies to detect and remove any discriminatory biases embedded in their computer models, underscoring Washington’s growing interest in regulating
Silicon Valley.
The bill, entitled the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2019, would grant new power to the US
Federal Trade Commission and force companies to study if race, gender or other biases underpin their technology.
The rules would apply to companies with annual revenue above $50 million as well as to data brokers and businesses with over a million consumers’ data.
“Computers are increasingly involved in the most important decisions affecting Americans’ lives – whether or not someone can buy a home, get a job or even go to jail,” Democratic Senator Ron Wyden said in a press release announcing the bill.
The press release cited as examples a
Reuters report that
Amazon.com Inc had scrapped an automated recruiting engine it had found to be biased against women, and US charges that
Facebook Inc let advertisers discriminate by race in alleged violation of the Fair Housing Act.