Inside STAT: Tech giants can help close health disparities. They have little to show for it

(ADOBE)

Tech giants, with their vast wealth, new focus on health topics, and influence across many spheres, could work to make a difference in the landscape of racial disparities in health and contribute meaningfully to the conversations being had about racial injustice. But in a new story, STAT's Erin Brodwin reports that despite public statements condemning racism from the heads of tech companies including Facebook and Amazon, little has been done to concretely address systemic problems. When Erin asked spokespeople at five big tech companies working in health whether they have any health projects dedicated to addressing inequality, only Alphabet, the parent company of Google, offered specific examples. “The industry needs to take greater responsibility for how the tools it makes can contribute to racial inequality,” tech researcher Kate Crawford tells Erin. Read more here.