Google targeted black people to test new facial recognition software and offered $5 gift cards

Google has been seeking facial scans of people with'darker skin' as part of its efforts to improve the company's facial scan software. The company has sent out teams of temp workers, hired through the staffing agency Randstad, to scan people's faces in exchange for $5 gift cards. Workers for the program said they were directed to target homeless people and college students. Facial recognition software has been notoriously unreliable for people with dark skin, something Google wanted to improve for the upcoming launch of the Pixel 4 (pictured above). The workers were encouraged to conceal the fact that they were collecting facial data and instead asked if people would be interested in playing a'selfie game' using specially equipped smart phones.