Jeff Larson
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Jeff Larson is a news applications developer at ProPublica. He is a winner of the Livingston Award for the 2011 series Redistricting: How Powerful Interests are Drawing You Out of a Vote. Jeff's public key.
Articles
Bias in Criminal Risk Scores Is Mathematically Inevitable, Researchers Say
Dec. 30, 2016, 3:44 p.m.
ProPublica’s analysis of bias against black defendants in criminal risk scores has prompted research showing that the disparity can be addressed — if the algorithms focus on the fairness of outcomes.Breaking the Black Box: How Machines Learn to Be Racist
Oct. 19, 2016, 7 a.m.
Artificial Intelligence is only as good as the patterns we teach it. To illustrate the sensitivity of AI systems, we built an AI engine that deduced synonyms from news articles published by different types of news organizations.ProPublica Responds to Company’s Critique of Machine Bias Story
July 29, 2016, 10:56 a.m.
Northpointe asserts that a software program it sells that predicts the likelihood a person will commit future crimes is equally fair to black and white defendants. We re-examined the data, considered the company’s criticisms, and stand by our conclusions.Technical Response to Northpointe
July 29, 2016, 10:55 a.m.
Northpointe asserts that a software program it sells that predicts the likelihood a person will commit future crimes is equally fair to black and white defendants. We re-examined the data, considered the company’s criticisms, and stand by our conclusions.What Algorithmic Injustice Looks Like in Real Life
May 25, 2016, 10:47 a.m.
A computer program rated defendants’ risk of committing a future crime. These are the results.Machine Bias
May 23, 2016, 7 a.m.
There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks.How We Analyzed the COMPAS Recidivism Algorithm
May 23, 2016, 6:59 a.m.
Hell and High Water
March 3, 2016, 8 a.m.
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country. It's home to the nation's largest refining and petrochemical complex, where billions of gallons of oil and dangerous chemicals are stored. And it's a sitting duck for the next big hurricane. Why isn't Texas ready?Hell and High Water (Full Text)
March 3, 2016, 7:59 a.m.
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country. It's home to the nation's largest refining and petrochemical complex, where billions of gallons of oil and dangerous chemicals are stored. And it's a sitting duck for the next big hurricane. Why isn't Texas ready?How We Made Hell and High Water
March 3, 2016, 7:59 a.m.
Our interactive story includes a map with seven animated simulations depicting a large hurricane hitting the Houston-Galveston region.Fact-Checking the Debate on Encryption
Dec. 15, 2015, 7:59 a.m.
The existence of coded communications is a reality and the U.S. may not be able to do much about it.Telecoms, Manufacturers Delaying Critical Patches for Classified Military Smartphones
Nov. 9, 2015, 5:30 a.m.
Telecom carriers and manufacturers are holding back critical software updates putting classified information at risk.Verizon’s Zombie Cookie Gets New Life
Oct. 6, 2015, 12:15 p.m.
Verizon is merging its cellphone tracking supercookie with AOL’s ad tracking network to match users’ online habits with their offline details.The Tiger Mom Tax: Asians Are Nearly Twice as Likely to Get a Higher Price from Princeton Review
Sep. 1, 2015, 9 a.m.
One unexpected effect of the company’s geographic approach to pricing is that Asians are almost twice as likely to be offered a higher price than non-Asians, an analysis by ProPublica shows.Here’s Why the Close Collaboration Between the NSA and AT&T Matters
Aug. 17, 2015, 9:54 a.m.
New disclosures about the National Security Agency's partnership with AT&T could reignite constitutional challenges to the spy agency's efforts to wiretap the Internet.A Trail of Evidence Leading to AT&T’s Partnership with the NSA
Aug. 15, 2015, Noon
Documents provided by Edward Snowden mention a special relationship between the National Security Agency and an unnamed telecommunications company. Here’s how we figured out that’s AT&T.NSA Spying Relies on AT&T’s ‘Extreme Willingness to Help’
Aug. 15, 2015, 11:59 a.m.
The National Security Agency’s ability to capture Internet traffic on United States soil has been based on an extraordinary, decadeslong partnership with a single company: AT&T.New Snowden Documents Reveal Secret Memos Expanding Spying
June 4, 2015, 10 a.m.
The Obama administration has stepped up the NSA’s warrantless surveillance program on U.S. soil to search for signs of hacking.Killing the Colorado: Explore the River
May 27, 2015, 8 a.m.
How the Colorado was turned into a giant plumbing system.Money as a Weapons System
May 15, 2015, 8 a.m.
How U.S. commanders spent $2 billion of petty cash in AfghanistanSafeguard the public interest.
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Contact Info
- e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
- twitter: thejefflarson