Skip to Content
logologo
AI Incident Database
Open TwitterOpen RSS FeedOpen FacebookOpen LinkedInOpen GitHub
Open Menu
Discover
Submit
  • Welcome to the AIID
  • Discover Incidents
  • Spatial View
  • Table View
  • List view
  • Entities
  • Taxonomies
  • Submit Incident Reports
  • Submission Leaderboard
  • Blog
  • AI News Digest
  • Risk Checklists
  • Random Incident
  • Sign Up
Collapse
Discover
Submit
  • Welcome to the AIID
  • Discover Incidents
  • Spatial View
  • Table View
  • List view
  • Entities
  • Taxonomies
  • Submit Incident Reports
  • Submission Leaderboard
  • Blog
  • AI News Digest
  • Risk Checklists
  • Random Incident
  • Sign Up
Collapse

Incident 275: Facebook’s Moderation Algorithm Banned Users for Historical Evidence of Slavery

Description: Facebook’s automated content moderation was acknowledged by a company spokesperson to have erroneously censored and banned Australian users from posting an article containing a 1890s photo of Aboriginal men in chains over nudity as historical evidence of slavery in Australia.

Tools

New ReportNew ReportNew ResponseNew ResponseDiscoverDiscoverView HistoryView History

Entities

View all entities
Alleged: Facebook developed and deployed an AI system, which harmed Facebook users sharing photo evidence of slavery and Facebook users.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
275
Report Count
2
Incident Date
2020-06-11
Editors
Khoa Lam
Applied Taxonomies
GMF, MIT

MIT Taxonomy Classifications

Machine-Classified
Taxonomy Details

Risk Subdomain

A further 23 subdomains create an accessible and understandable classification of hazards and harms associated with AI
 

1.1. Unfair discrimination and misrepresentation

Risk Domain

The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies risks into seven AI risk domains: (1) Discrimination & toxicity, (2) Privacy & security, (3) Misinformation, (4) Malicious actors & misuse, (5) Human-computer interaction, (6) Socioeconomic & environmental harms, and (7) AI system safety, failures & limitations.
 
  1. Discrimination and Toxicity

Entity

Which, if any, entity is presented as the main cause of the risk
 

AI

Timing

The stage in the AI lifecycle at which the risk is presented as occurring
 

Post-deployment

Intent

Whether the risk is presented as occurring as an expected or unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
 

Unintentional

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

Incident OccurrenceFacebook Removes Photo Of Aboriginal Men Used To Prove Racism In AustraliaFacebook Blocks, Bans Users for Sharing Article Showing Aboriginal Men in Chains Over Nudity
Facebook Removes Photo Of Aboriginal Men Used To Prove Racism In Australia

Facebook Removes Photo Of Aboriginal Men Used To Prove Racism In Australia

unilad.com

Facebook Blocks, Bans Users for Sharing Article Showing Aboriginal Men in Chains Over Nudity

Facebook Blocks, Bans Users for Sharing Article Showing Aboriginal Men in Chains Over Nudity

techtimes.com

Facebook Removes Photo Of Aboriginal Men Used To Prove Racism In Australia
unilad.com · 2020

Facebook has removed a photo of aboriginal men used to prove racism in Australia, after claiming the photo included nudity.

The picture was shared online to prove racism had taken place in Australia off the back of the country’s prime minis…

Facebook Blocks, Bans Users for Sharing Article Showing Aboriginal Men in Chains Over Nudity
techtimes.com · 2020

The post was made in the context of Australian prime minister Scott Morrison claiming there was no slavery in Australia. Before a day later, he backed up on those comments.

What was is about?

A Facebook user had posted a refutation of the a…

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.

Similar Incidents

By textual similarity

Did our AI mess up? Flag the unrelated incidents

Defamation via AutoComplete

Defamation via AutoComplete

Apr 2011 · 28 reports
Passport checker Detects Asian man's Eyes as Closed

Passport checker Detects Asian man's Eyes as Closed

Dec 2016 · 22 reports
Amazon Censors Gay Books

Amazon Censors Gay Books

May 2008 · 24 reports
Previous IncidentNext Incident

Similar Incidents

By textual similarity

Did our AI mess up? Flag the unrelated incidents

Defamation via AutoComplete

Defamation via AutoComplete

Apr 2011 · 28 reports
Passport checker Detects Asian man's Eyes as Closed

Passport checker Detects Asian man's Eyes as Closed

Dec 2016 · 22 reports
Amazon Censors Gay Books

Amazon Censors Gay Books

May 2008 · 24 reports

Research

  • Defining an “AI Incident”
  • Defining an “AI Incident Response”
  • Database Roadmap
  • Related Work
  • Download Complete Database

Project and Community

  • About
  • Contact and Follow
  • Apps and Summaries
  • Editor’s Guide

Incidents

  • All Incidents in List Form
  • Flagged Incidents
  • Submission Queue
  • Classifications View
  • Taxonomies

2023 - AI Incident Database

  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open twitterOpen githubOpen rssOpen facebookOpen linkedin
  • 30ebe76