HP Facial Recognition Software is Racist

At a time when the BBC gives a national platform to racists, with the recent inclusion of the BNP’s Nick Griffin on Question Time, the battle to eradicate racism is hard fought. Yet the struggle is not made easier when new releases from PC brands as ubiquitous as Hewlett Packard discriminate against skin colour!


The facial recognition software packaged with HP’s webcam fails to recognise black people, according to a YouTube video that has gone viral. Reported two weeks ago by Jennifer Van Grove at Mashable.com, the video’s protagonists – one white, one black – use the buggy webcam to demonstrate its selective facial recognition.

Desi Cryer, who stars in the video, goes on to accuse the HP webcam of being “racist.”

The YouTube video is intended in a spirit of fun; Cryer is clearly enjoying himself, and his colleague Wanda Zamen spends the duration giggling. Yet the video has shed light on a serious glitch in HP’s facial recognition software. Moreover, Cryer’s accusation has prompted Hewlett Packard to respond with especial care.

A post by Frosty at HP’s blog two weeks ago notes tactfully that the facial recognition software “didn’t work for a customer.” Without referring to skin colour, he explains that the webcam’s software “might have difficulty “seeing” contrast [in areas of the face] in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.”

Frosty doesn’t offer an explanation for how this glitch in the cam’s facial recognition software went unnoticed. In a response to the post, Tarhero posts that it indicates a less than racially balanced testing phase at Hewlett Packard!

Since Frosty’s post, the global brand has received queries about whether its facial recognition software is compatible with other non-caucasian skin tones.

Talking with Mashable.com meanwhile, Zamen has justified the sensationalist nature of the YouTube video. She underplays the racist claim, stating: “We do not really think that a machine can be racist, or that HP is purposely creating software that excludes people of color. We think it is just a glitch.”

Whether HP’s facial recognition software is racist or not, the YouTube video prompted a quick response from the brand. And as Zamen comments: “we are glad that it has folks talking.”