APPLE CARD FACES GENDER BIAS PROBE
US businessman says given 20 times limit of his wife despite her higher credit score
AFINANCIAL regulator, here, said on Saturday it is investigating claims of gender discrimination by the new credit card from tech giant Apple and its issuer Goldman Sachs, after a cardholder’s tweet about his wife’s credit limit went viral.
American businessman David Heinemeier Hansson had tweeted on Thursday that the Apple Card is a “sexist program”.
He said the card’s “black box” algorithm had given him 20 times the credit limit of his wife, even though they filed joint tax returns and she had a higher credit score.
Hansson tweeted a series of messages recounting fruitless chats with Apple customer service agents, who were unable to explain the disparity but blamed it on the algorithm that determined an applicant’s credit-worthiness.
A “black box” algorithm refers to artificial intelligence systems whose decisions cannot be explained.
In March, Apple Inc started offering the Apple Card, issued by banking giant Goldman Sachs.
State regulators would “be conducting an investigation to determine whether New York law was violated and ensure all consumers are treated equally regardless of sex”, said a spokesman for Linda Lacewell, the superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services.