Yahoo News Twitter is doing a very bad job at guessing your gender
Twitter has just introduced a new set of tools that reveal what information companies are collecting about you to send ads to you.
While this sounds like a transparent move – and it is – the function has already caused uproar over how it attributes gender.
It seems that if you don't outrightly state your gender on sign up, Twitter has been using tools that appear to infer a gender based on your data.
"If you haven't added a gender, this is the one most strongly associated with your account based on your profile and activity," the site says on the settings page under the gender section. "This information won't be displayed publicly."
Needless to say, this has rightly pissed people off, to say the least:
Twitter assumed my gender is male due to my profile and activity.
TWITTER IS ASSUMING PEOPLE'S GENDERS REEEEE pic.twitter.com/bM06g6jXtF- Saltasaurus (@LiteralSalt) May 17, 2017
Users: Will you ever fix your site's harassment issues?
Twitter: Congrats! Now we'll assign you a gender if you didn't add one. pic.twitter.com/CrdjGapIqu- Cary (@Vronos) May 18, 2017
Hey @Twitter @Support ? Can we please not have an algorithm decide which gender we are based on tweets? We aren't all M or F.
- goetic demon no.73 (@DarkTwistedMeow) May 19, 2017
TWITTER USERS: hey, did you ever try to get rid of all those Nazis, orrrrrr--
TWITTER: we made a robot that guesses your gender pic.twitter.com/Nf6loVFlc3- Ace (@MillennialShep) May 18, 2017
hey so twitter assumes your gender based on how you post now (even though it doesnt display) and if that aint fucked up pic.twitter.com/MzxgNxxLhx
- lukasluvr69 @ clover (@cutiebeefly) May 18, 2017
hey speaking of dehumanizing i guess twitter assigns a Gender to you based on your tweet content. i love the future pic.twitter.com/YWz3qa1XZJ
- evan. (@nichehobbyrobot) May 17, 2017
Just to note – the function does allow users to choose what gender they identify as by writing in a box, something that rival companies such as Google and Facebook are yet to catch up to.
guys u can now edit ur gender on twitter !! pic.twitter.com/NAtX43AyLc
- jace alexander🌙 (@transboysirius) May 17, 2017
Still, the assumption that just because you like certain things means you are attributed a certain gender is, in many cases, downright offensive. And seems very much at odds with the fact that, you know, we're in the 21st century now.
Related: You might soon FINALLY be able to edit tweets
To check your own settings, simply go into settings on your Twitter profile, and then click on a tab titled 'your Twitter data'.
After entering your password for security reasons, you can access a whole load of information, including what age range they assume you are – don't worry, this one is pretty broad.
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