sexism
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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.
Federal study shows face recognition accuracy varies by gender and race
Researchers have studied the potential for bias in facial recognition algorithms before, but now it's the US government's turn to weigh in. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a study indicating "demographic differentials" in the majority of the facial recognition algorithms it tested. The report, which examined both one-to-one matching (such as verifying a passport photo) and one-to-many matching (looking for criminals in a crowd), saw noticeable surges in false positives based on gender, age and racial background -- but cautioned against this representing definitive proof of systemic bias.
Goldman will re-check Apple Card credit scores after sexism claims
The Apple Card has been under fire this week after accusations that the bank behind the program, Goldman Sachs, has been discriminatory against women in its provision of credit lines. The New York Department of Financial Services opened an investigation into the claims, and now, Goldman Sachs says it will re-evaluate credit decisions for those whose lines are lower than expected.
New York investigates claims of sexism in Apple Card credit limits (updated)
The bank behind Apple Card is facing legal scrutiny over accusations of inequality. New York's Department of Financial Services has launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs' practices after Basecamp founder David Heinemeier Hansson accused Apple (and really, Goldman) of sexism when determining credit limits. He received a limit 20 times higher than his wife despite her higher credit score, and received no help from customer service apart from murmurs of a "formal internal complaint." She eventually got a "VIP bump" to match his credit limit, but that appeared to have been a reaction to the public outcry. Hansson didn't believe Apple or Goldman set out to be discriminatory, but that the outcome was sexist nonetheless.
Emerging from the shadow of GamerGate
On August 26th, game developer Nathalie Lawhead published a blog post accusing legendary Skyrim composer Jeremy Soule of rape. It's a detailed account of the events leading up to and after the alleged assault, which Lawhead says took place in 2008, when she was in her mid-20s and trying to break into the video-game industry. Soule was already a major name in games, and according to Lawhead, he used his influence and the veneer of mentorship to manipulate, silence and sexually assault her. By the 28th, another woman, vocalist Aeralie Brighton, had come forward with her own story about Soule. She said Soule sent her a video of him masturbating, and then cut her out of projects when she expressed that she wanted to keep their relationship professional. Soule denies the accusations from both women.
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."
Riot Games is expanding 'League of Legends,' even in the midst of scandal
League of Legends has been online for nearly 10 years. During that time, it's competed with newcomers like Dota 2, PUBG, Overwatch, Fortnite and a slew of online first-person shooters, yet it's managed to remain one of the most popular games on the market, reporting 100 million monthly active players in 2016. One reason for this is the fact that League of Legends is free to download, with tiers of characters and items unlockable via microtransactions and playtime. However, a game can't survive for long if players don't stick around, which is why developers at Riot Games are constantly working on ways to evolve and enrich the League of Legends universe, both on and off the screen.
Riot Games staff walk out after sexism lawsuits result in forced arbitration
More than 150 employees from Riot Games walked out of the League of Legends publisher's offices in Los Angeles yesterday to protest forced arbitration and sexist culture, and say they are prepared to take further action if the company does not commit to meeting their demands by May 16th.
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.
Brie Larson's new Netflix film tackles sexism in internet startups
Brie Larson is set to star in a Netflix movie that highlights startup sexism as part of a two-film deal with the streaming service. Lady Business is based on a Fast Company article about two female entrepreneurs who invented a fake male cofounder in order to be taken seriously in the patriarchal business world.
Study: Women are abused every 30 seconds on Twitter
Earlier this year Amnesty International released a report discussing what many of Twitter's female users already know: the social network is not always a great place to be if you're a woman. Now, a new study reveals the hard statistics on just how toxic the situation is. According to the report by Amnesty International and global AI software company Element AI, female journalists and politicians were abused every 30 seconds on Twitter in 2017.
Google employees reportedly plan walkout over sexual misconduct
Google employees are once more confronting their leadership over controversial decisions. BuzzFeed News has learned that 200-plus Google engineers are planning a "women's walk" on November 1st that would protest the company's reported protection of Andy Rubin and other employees involved in sexual misconduct. The tech firm had tried to assuage concerns by apologizing, explaining its reasoning and revealing that it had fired 50 people for misconduct, but that hasn't been enough. Women at Google saw a "pattern" of men either going unpunished for misconduct or getting a "golden parachute" when forced out, according to one employee posting in an internal discussion forum.
Bing and Yahoo were suggesting offensive search terms
Tech companies continue to have problems with clearly offensive search terms, and Microsoft is no exception to the rule. How-To Geek discovered that Bing (and by extension, our sibling brand Yahoo) was suggesting offensive searches even if you had SafeSearch turned on. If you searched for "Jews" or "black people are," for example, you'd see racist auto-complete recommendations. Even an innocuous video search for "Michelle Obama" would turn up bigoted suggestions, while image searches offered queries for underage girls and similarly disgusting (not to mention illegal) results.
Spotify sued over executives' alleged gender discrimination
Spotify has been accused of turning a blind eye to sexism in its workplace. Former sales executive Hong Perez has sued the streaming service over allegations that male execs have perpetuated systemic gender discrimination. The global head of sales reportedly provided higher compensation (including equity) to men, while multiple male executives received little punishment (and in one case, a promotion) despite sexual harassment claims.
Facebook hit with federal complaint over discriminatory housing ads
Despite past efforts, Facebook hasn't avoided federal-level trouble over allegations it enabled discriminatory housing ads. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has officially filed a complaint against Facebook, accusing the social network of violating the Fair Housing Act. HUD claimed that Facebook's ad personalization let advertisers redline ZIP codes and exclude people based on gender, race, religion, accessibility, national origins and even parental status. The company was limiting home choices for protected classes "under the guise" of targeted ads, HUD said.
Uber is under US investigation over gender discrimination
Uber is still grappling with its legacy of sexism well after it launched its bid to reform its corporate culture. Sources for both Engadget and the Wall Street Journal have reported that the ridesharing firm is under a US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation of gender discrimination allegations. The investigators, who quietly started their work in August 2017, have been grilling employees (both current and previous) and requesting files on subjects ranging from pay gaps to hiring practices and "other matters."
Google hopes to quell internal fighting with new rules
Google has long encouraged staff to share ideas with each other, but that's becoming toxic enough that the company is taking steps to rein things in. The Wall Street Journal has learned that Google has instituted new rules disciplining employees who attack colleagues, discriminate against them or participate in discussion that are "disruptive to a productive work environment." In other words, it's hoping to rein in the sort of chats and discussions that led to James Damore's anti-diversity memo, his firing and the subsequent lawsuits.
Report reveals the extent of China's tech sexism problem
Chinese tech companies like Baidu and Alibaba have been using blatant sexism to attract job candidates and advertising jobs for "men only," Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported. "Major companies like Alibaba have published recruitment ads promising applicants 'beautiful girls' as co-workers," said HRW China Director Sophie Richardson. Furthermore, Chinese authorities have not been enforcing laws that prohibit workplace gender discrimination, it adds.
Uber agrees to pay $10 million in discrimination lawsuit settlement
The San Francisco Chronicle reports today that Uber has agreed to a $10 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that claimed it discriminated against minorities and women who worked for the company. The lawsuit was filed in October and represents 420 women and people of color who were employed by Uber as software engineers going back to 2013. Additionally, the Chronicle reports that the company has also agreed to change how it manages compensation and promotion. The lawsuit alleged that women, black and Latino/Latina employees were not given raises, bonuses, stock and benefits at the same rate as male and white or Asian coworkers.
The video game industry is finally asking where the women are
Ubisoft is participating in the Women in Gaming Rally at GDC this week. It's one of the first things the 20 or so journalists pooled between the open bar and the canapes on the second floor of Hotel Zetta were told -- mentioned right after the evening's embargo information and just before spokespeople split the reporters into three groups and shepherded them to their appropriate meetings. There were three sessions, each 20 minutes long and covering distinct topics: Online ecosystems, artificial intelligence, and new studio openings. After each session, the groups would rotate to see the next presentation, for an hour total of on-the-record, Ubisoft-centric back-patting and glad-handing.
