The Trump administration is looking to issue a contract worth up to $25 million to DNA-test families targeted for deportation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as stated by Bloomberg. Campaigners are concerned that these tests could be used to separate children from their caregivers, such as non-biological family members like godparents. Additionally, advocates worry that there’s a broader plan by the administration to collect genetic data at US borders for other purposes, like criminal investigations. $25 million contract to DNA test families In mid-May, the agency issued a contract
Google has agreed to pay $50 million in a racial bias lawsuit against Black staff workers. On Thursday evening, a preliminary settlement covering over 4,000 Google employees in California and New York was filed in Oakland, California federal court, which requires a judge’s approval, according to Reuters. The lawsuit In 2022, the plaintiff, April Curley, proposed a class action lawsuit from the California Civil Rights Department, stating that management gave opportunities only for lower-ranked roles, paid them less, gave them lower performance ratings, and stopped them from opportunities for development
Alondra Nelson, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in New Jersey, has announced her resignation from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council. In an op-ed for Time Magazine, Nelson detailed the hostile environment at the Library of Congress since January 2025, the month President Trump commenced his second term. “We’ve also seen civil servants fired and accused of not making the mark, vendors’s contracts ignored, and grants and fellowships cancelled,” she wrote, detailing rising political interference and a breakdown in the integrity of US knowledge institutions. Normalization
Atlanta-based entrepreneur and activist Kiandria Demone is leading a campaign to prevent a white Minnesota woman from receiving over $750,000 in donations after she was filmed hurling a racial slur at a young Black child. The incident Shiloh Hendrix was caught on camera calling a five-year-old Black boy the n-word while at a playground in Rochester, Minnesota. She later launched a campaign on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding platform known for hosting fundraisers for Daniel Penny, Luigi Mangione, and Kyle Rittenhouse. She claimed she needed the money for her safety and
A new dataset in the form of maps highlighted how many African workers are indirectly employed in the tech sector. These employees tend to do content moderation, customer service, and data annotation for AI models, as well as other jobs. Tech firms that provide outsourced digital labor for big tech companies tend to be discreet about their staff. This allows tech companies to distance themselves legally and ethically from their employees, experts explained to Rest of World. African workforces building AI The map shows the flow of data and knowledge
AI chatbots on Meta’s platforms like Facebook and Instagram can have sexually explicit conversations with users, including those who are underage. The findings were highlighted in a report by the Wall Street Journal. Meta is pushing to promote AI-powered digital companions, which Mark Zuckerberg believes will be the future of social media. However, staff workers across multiple departments have raised concerns about the ethical lines these bots have crossed. The WSJ reported that the employees also felt that the company was not doing enough to protect minors from inappropriate conversations.
Nearly half of the facial recognition in London last year occurred in areas with a higher proportion of Black residents than the city’s average, The Voice Newspaper reports. Researchers from a political group in London circulated figures highlighting live facial recognition (LFR), which was used 180 times in 2024. More than half of these occurrences were in places with a larger Black population than the city’s average. How many faces were scanned? Across London, around two million people had their faces scanned, but only 804 arrests were made, which is
Migrants who were granted temporary stay to live in the US by using a Biden-era online appointment app have been told to leave the country, “immediately,” officials said on Monday. The number of individuals affected has not yet been confirmed. What Is CBP One? The CBP One app was introduced under President Joe Biden as part of an effort to create safer, legal pathways for asylum seekers and reduce illegal border crossings. The app allowed individuals to schedule appointments with immigration officials and apply for asylum at border crossings—primarily along
Target’s foot traffic has fallen for the ninth consecutive week amidst its 40-day boycott, as stated by Retail Brew. The company’s traffic started to plummet in the first whole week after it shared that it was rolling back its DEI efforts. In March, the retailer announced that it would end its DEI programs, including its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiative and a program focused on carrying more products from Black—or minority-owned businesses. Target’s chief community impact and equity officer, Kiera Fernandez, sent a memo to staff stating, “Many
On Tuesday, Forbes released its annual World’s Billionaires list, setting new records in both size and total wealth. Of the 3,028 billionaires on this year’s list, 23 are Black, just 0.8% of the total. Forbes reports that these Black billionaires command a combined net worth of $96.2 billion, with fortunes rooted primarily in finance, energy, and technology. While many familiar faces are present, the rankings have changed a little since the last time we checked in. Notably, Aliko Dangote reclaimed the top spot after being surpassed by David Steward last
