About Coded Bias
Coded Bias is a documentary directed by Shalini Kantayya. PBS, which broadcast it on Independent Lens from 22 March 2021, describes it as following MIT Media Lab computer scientist Joy Buolamwini “along with data scientists, mathematicians, and watchdog groups from all over the world, as they fight to expose the discrimination within algorithms.”
Subject
The film’s premise, as PBS states it, is a finding Buolamwini made while researching facial recognition at the MIT Media Lab: that “some algorithms could not detect dark-skinned faces or classify women with accuracy.” PBS describes the conclusion the film draws from it — that “the very machine-learning algorithms intended to avoid prejudice are only as unbiased as the humans and historical data programming them” — and follows Buolamwini’s move from that discovery to public advocacy, including testimony before Congress.
The film’s own site, run by 7th Empire Media, hosts screening resources, an awards and festivals listing, and a declaration for viewers to sign.
Sourcing Note
The founded: 2020 value is removed. The film’s site carries a 2020 copyright and PBS gives a broadcast premiere of March 2021; a film’s release year is not what the founded field means, and neither date belongs there.
Removed as unsourceable: the claim of a Sundance Film Festival premiere in January 2020 — the film’s own site has an awards and festivals section but PBS states only the Independent Lens date, and no festival record could be fetched; the statement that it “was acquired for distribution on Netflix”; the account of United Kingdom legal challenges to police facial recognition featured in the film; the reach line; and an “Impact on Public Discourse” section claiming the film “reinforced campaigns for facial recognition moratoria, transparency requirements, and accountability frameworks” and was screened by “universities, public libraries, and advocacy organizations.” The last is plausible — the film’s site actively promotes screenings — but the claim as written asserted an outcome, not an offer.
Sources
- 01.
PBS. Coded Bias — Independent Lens. PBS's own page for the film. Source for its Independent Lens premiere date of 22 March 2021, its director Shalini Kantayya, and its subject: MIT Media Lab computer scientist Joy Buolamwini's finding, while researching facial recognition, that "some algorithms could not detect dark-skinned faces or classify women with accuracy," and her subsequent congressional testimony. PBS describes the film as following Buolamwini "along with data scientists, mathematicians, and watchdog groups from all over the world."
- 02.
7th Empire Media. Coded Bias — official site. The film's own site, produced by 7th Empire Media, carrying a 2020 copyright and sections for screenings, awards and festivals, a declaration to sign, and press toolkits.