How Big Tech Inherited Eugenics: Anita Say Chan on Algorithmic Bias, Data Colonialism & Techno-Eugenics

For the Love of History - world history, women’s history, weird history

In this powerful episode of For the Love of History, host TC is joined by scholar and author Dr. Anita Say Chan to explore the unsettling historical roots of modern data science and artificial intelligence. Drawing from her groundbreaking book Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future, Anita uncovers how today's predictive algorithms trace back to 19th-century eugenics. Yes, really. Statistical regression—the backbone of online recommendation engines—was developed by a eugenicist. And that’s just the beginning.

We unpack how algorithmic bias, data colonialism, and techno-eugenics operate in today’s platforms—from Facebook’s role in global violence to the AI industry’s resistance to regulation. If you’re curious about the intersections of technology, race, gender, and power, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

📌 Key Topics Covered:

• The hidden eugenic origins of data science and regression analysis

• How algorithms are modern tools of social control

• The racist, classist history of “fitness” in academic institutions

• What “techno-eugenics” looks like today—from content moderation failures to AI bias

• Case studies: Facebook’s role in violence in India and Myanmar

• Why Big Tech underinvests in safety protocols outside the West

• How tech elites bypass democratic institutions for unchecked influence

📚 About Our Guest:
Dr. Anita Say Chan is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and founder of the Community Data Clinic. Her research focuses on feminist, decolonial approaches to tech and global information justice.

📖 Featured Book:
Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future by Anita Say Chan

📍 Timestamps (For Better UX + SEO):

• 00:01 — Meet Dr. Anita Say Chan

• 04:00 — Eugenics and the invention of data prediction

• 10:15 — U.S. universities and the rise of eugenic policy

• 17:45 — Techno-eugenics: What it means today

• 24:30 — Case study: Facebook in India and Myanmar

• 30:00 — Tech elites, lobbying, and the erosion of democracy

• 35:00 — The fight for global data justice

🎯 Call to Action:
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🧠 SEO Keywords Integrated:

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• algorithmic bias in tech

• techno-eugenics explained

• AI and racial bias

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