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'Sexist' Facebook search flummoxes users

AI Bias: It’s possible to search for pics of female friends, but not male ones

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Facebook users are grappling with a peculiar search issue that has been described as 'sexist' by many. When a user keys in "photos of my female friends", the social networking site throws up the user's legitimate female friends' profiles. However, it's not so diligent once 'female' is replaced with 'male'. The output: a bunch of random pictures across Facebook.

Cyber experts are startled too. Some argue that it is a failure of Facebook's promise of privacy while others just see it as an algorithm issue.

"It is too early to comment on the cyber risk this poses but clearly the privacy of users is at risk. It makes it easier for fraudsters to filter out females at one go. The filter simply makes it easier," said cybercrime investigator Ritesh Bhatia. If a woman befriends a fake profile thinking it is genuine she is subjected to aggravated risk, he said.

Some cyber lawyers feel that the 'sexist' search result is nothing but a change in the algorithm. However, they don't downplay the privacy risk that it poses and urge more people to report it.

"When certain words get bundled up they start showing in the beginning. It works on artificial algorithm or artificial intelligence. AI also works on crowdsourcing. If more report this then the algorithm will sense this is going negative in the social aspect. Media reporting can change the results," said cyber lawyer advocate Prashant Mali.

He said the search output may change after five days. "A person goes into another person's profile and monitors the communication between friends. This could be used for soft blackmailing depending on the cultural setting. This could either threaten or shock the user."

Experts suggest Facebook should urgently intervene and urgently block such searches.

"Both algorithm aspects are cause for concern. Somehow it doesn't ring right. Gender-based searches seem like a segregation process. It appears more to be a privacy issue or a concern. There should be a setting which allows blocking of such searches. Such a mechanism should be gender neutral," said cyber law expert NS Nappinai.

Cyber Segregation 

  • Some experts say it is a failure on Facebook’s part, as it makes it easier for fraudsters to filter out females at one go 
  • While some others just see teh result as nothing but a change in the algorithm
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