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Markup Mortgage Industry Investigation Cited in Support of Algorithmic Accountability Bill
The measure would require companies to test the algorithms they use for bias and discrimination
Lauren Kirchner
Investigative Reporter
Lauren Kirchner writes about the intersection between government and technology and how the use of data in decisions affects us all, particularly the most vulnerable.
She previously worked at ProPublica, where she was part of the team of reporters and programmers who were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting for their “Machine Bias” series.
Her reporting on technology and criminal justice has appeared in The New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, and Pacific Standard magazine, among others. Lauren began her journalism career at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia.
Show Your WorkDenied
How We Investigated Racial Disparities in Federal Mortgage Data
Even after including factors the mortgage industry said explain differences, lenders are still more likely to deny people of color than White people under similar financial circumstances
Denied
The Secret Bias Hidden in Mortgage-Approval Algorithms
Even accounting for factors lenders said would explain disparities, people of color are denied mortgages at significantly higher rates than White people
Locked Out
Citing a Markup Investigation, Senators Question Regulators About Tenant Screening Oversight
They raise concerns over racial disparities, effects of pandemic
News
Powerful DNA Software Used in Hundreds of Criminal Cases Faces New Scrutiny
After decades of secrecy, two judges have ruled defendants can investigate whether TrueAllele’s probabilistic genotyping algorithm works as advertised
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The Obscure Yet Powerful Tenant-Screening Industry Is Finally Getting Some Scrutiny
Reforms have been in the works for years, but a looming eviction crisis has made them urgent
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When Zombie Data Costs You a Home
Even when people get their criminal records expunged, data brokers ensure the past keeps coming back to haunt them
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Can Algorithms Violate Fair Housing Laws?
Landlords increasingly use screening services to weed out renters. Advocates say both landlords and the algorithms should be accountable when things go wrong
The BreakdownLocked Out
What Do I Do If the Bank Says I’m Dead?
Investigate, complain, and maybe sue
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Data Brokers May Report COVID-19–Related Evictions for Years
Scant rules around tenant background screenings mean money woes during the pandemic’s economic slowdown will haunt some tenants, even if they pay up
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