discrimination
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Activision Blizzard settles its EEOC lawsuit with an $18 million payout
This is just one lawsuit facing the house of Call of Duty.
California expands Activision Blizzard lawsuit to include temporary workers
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has expanded the scope of its sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard to include temporary workers.
Activision Blizzard loses three senior designers amid sexual harassment lawsuit
Activision Blizzard has lost three senior game designers as it grapples with accusations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Blizzard president 'steps down' amid sexual discrimination and harassment lawsuit
Blizzard studio leader J. Allen Brack has stepped down after being named in a lawsuit over sexual discrimination and harassment.
Activision Blizzard execs respond to harassment and discrimination lawsuit
Blizzard president J. Allen Brack called the allegations 'extremely troubling.'
English soccer to boycott social media for four days over racist abuse
English football is boycotting social media for four days starting later this month to pile pressure on Facebook and Twitter to combat racist abuse online.
Google workers have formed a union
A group of 226 engineers and other Google workers have formed a union.
An Ubisoft VP has resigned following assault and misconduct allegations
Several current and former Ubisoft Toronto employees have described it as having a toxic culture.
Ubisoft CEO lays out a plan to change the company's toxic culture
Ubisoft Yves Guillemot announced several major changes to address his company's culture after employees went public reporting incidents of harassment and abuse.
Instagram will review how harassment and verification rules affect Black users
Instagram’s top executive says the company will review its harassment and verification policies, as well as how the app recommends content.
Google will restrict advertisers targeting ads for jobs, housing and credit
Google has worked with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to avoid enabling Fair Housing Act violations.
Tim Cook says Apple 'must do more' to combat racism
Tim Cook has released a statement on the Black Lives Matter cause.
Court finds algorithm bias studies don't violate US anti-hacking law
Researchers should be free to look for bias in website algorithms in the future. A federal court in DC has ruled in a lawsuit against Attorney General William Barr that studies aimed at detecting discrimination in online algorithms don't violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The government argued that the Act made it illegal to violate a site's terms of service through some investigative methods (such as submitting false info for research), but Judge John Bates determined that the terms only raised the possibility of civil liability, not criminal cases.
Kenya halts biometric ID scheme over discrimination fears
Kenya introduced a sweeping national biometric identity program last year, with the view to collecting personal and biometric data -- such as fingerprints and facial photographs -- from its 50 million-strong population. Now, however, the program has been temporarily suspended by the country's high court, which has cited concerns about the way the data may be used.
California says Riot Games' discrimination settlement isn't enough
Riot Games' tentative $10 million settlement over gender discrimination claims might be revised much higher. The LA Times has learned that California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) have requested to get involved the case and argue that the settlement terms are inadequate. DFEH contended that women at the League of Legends studio could be owed "over $400 million" in back pay based on the settlement's existing calculations, and that the non-financial agreements included "no enforceable changes" in policy at a company where sexism was reportedly widespread.
Riot Games settles class action lawsuit over sexist culture
In May, more than 150 Riot Games employees walked out of their offices in Los Angeles. The protest was held to draw attention to what the workers alleged to be a sexist corporate culture, as well as to condemn the forced arbitration of employees who filed a class action lawsuit earlier in the year. Today, the League of Legends publisher announced that "...we've come to an agreement in principle to settle the class action lawsuit against Riot."
An independent report on Facebook’s alleged liberal bias tells us nothing
Conservatives have long lamented that Facebook has a liberal, or anti-conservative, bias. Since the 2016 election, the company has been grilled on the issue by the White House more than once. In an attempt to clear the air, Facebook enlisted an independent third-party to decide once and for all if it does indeed have an anti-conservative bias. Last year, it asked former Republican Senator Jon Kyl and his team at Covington & Burling LLP to conduct a review of the company's policies. The results are in, and for the most part, they tell us nothing.
Tinder wants to protect LGBTQ users in countries that discriminate
Tinder wants to keep its users safe in the nearly 70 countries that have discriminatory LGBTQ laws. Today, the company is launching a feature called Traveller Alert. When members of the LGBTQ community open the app in one of those countries, the alert will warn them about the potential dangers LGBTQ people face.
Google makes it easier for employees to report harassment
Google is making it easier for employees to file harassment and discrimination complaints by setting up a dedicated site for them to do so. Melonie Parker, the company's chief diversity officer, wrote in a letter to employees that Google has firmed up some of the commitments it made in November following an outcry from employees.
Senate bill would make tech companies test algorithms for bias
It's well established that algorithms can exhibit bias, however inadvertently, and a trio of US politicians believe they can do something about it. Senators Cory Booker, Yvette Clarke and Ron Wyden have introduced an Algorithmic Accountability Act that would require larger companies to test their algorithms and fix anything "inaccurate, unfair, biased or discriminatory." The move would also ask them to study how their systems protect personal data,and would let the FTC create regulations mandating impact studies for "highly sensitive" automated systems.