Hewlett Packard investigates "racist computer" claim

Dec 23, 2009, 0:24 GMT

San Francisco - Hewlett Packard, the world's largest maker of personal computers, said Tuesday that it was investigating a claim that its computers are 'racist' because they recognize the facial movements of white users better than those of black ones.

The issue was raised in an anonymous YouTube video that quickly went viral as someone calling themselves Black Desi demonstrated the effectiveness of HP's facial recognition software.

The built-in PC camera, which is designed to follow individuals' head movements, fails to track Desi as he moves in and out of the picture, but perfectly follows his white co-worker, Wanda, when she enters the scene.

'As soon as my blackness enters the frame, it stopped,' says Desi, who appears to be amused, rather than annoyed, at the limitation. 'Black Desi gets in there, no face recognition anymore buddy. I'm going on the record and I'm saying it, Hewlett-Packard computers are racist. '

In a blog posting, HP officials said they were investigating the claim. 'We believe that the camera might have difficulty 'seeing' contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting,' wrote HP social media strategist Tony 'Frosty' Welch.

'Everything we do is focused on ensuring that we provide a high- quality experience for all our customers, who are ethnically diverse and live and work around the world.'