Search Engine Breakdown: Are Algorithms Racist and Sexist?

Why does a widely-used internet search engine deliver results that can be blatantly racist and sexist? "Beyond the Search" tells the story of two leading information researchers who made shocking discoveries about hidden biases in the search technology we rely on every day. It begins when Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble set out to find activities to entertain her young nieces and entered the term “Black girls’’ into her search bar: pages of pornography appeared as the top results.

Courtesy of NOVA PBS Official on YouTube. Watch on YouTube ↗

Sponsored

More Technology Documentaries

Cicada 3301: An Internet Mystery2018•18m•HD•★8.9The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz2014•1h 45m•HD•★8.7How Big Oil Conquered the World2017•1h 11m•HD•★8.6Tesla: Master of Lightning2016•1h 26m•HD•★8.6The Insane Truth About Tiktok2021•50m•HD•★8.0The Nuclear Revival: How Nuclear Reactors Have Evolved2023•47m•HD•★8How Are The Most Impressive Superstructures Made? [4K Full Series] | Spark2022•2h 36m•4K•★7.9How the World's Busiest Airport Runs - You Won’t Believe How It Works! | myDocumentary2025•1h 7m•HD•★7.8Storms, waves and risky maneuvers - The most dangerous job in the North Sea?2026•27m•HD•★7.8AI and human evolution | Yuval Noah Harari2025•26m•HD•★7.7Red Arrows: The Fatal Crash That Grounded The Elite2025•45m•HD•★7.7Be Decisive, Stay Humble | London Stock Exchange CEO Julia Hoggett2025•37m•HD•★7.7