== Biascope ==

[[File:Logo.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Biascope's Logo]]

Biascope Corp. is a Canadian biotech company specializing in consumer goods such as wearable tech and smartphone applications, established in 2045 by Merridan Sironka. The app utilizes an algorithm and wearable technology, such as EEG earbuds and a smartwatch heart monitor, to detect brain wave activity and heart rate to measure bias. Sironka started developing this technology after constantly witnessing her parents being denied opportunities based on their backgrounds and perceived identities.

== The Blueprint for Biascope ==
=== Imagine... ===
Imagine a world in which car crashes could be prevented, school shootings could be eliminated, racism could significantly decline, and we’d feel better about ourselves and have greater capacities for self-respect and feelings of worth.

We envision a world in which humans are better able to regulate their emotional and physical wellbeing by the use of an app, downloadable to both smart devices and laptops. Similar to a smart watch, this app monitors heart rate, counts steps, etc. but is also equipped with an AI brain that allows it to detect our subconscious thoughts and emotions. It’ll be able to monitor our brain waves and activity and also pick up signals of developing thoughts of bias, hatred, anger, and the like.
=== Potential Preventions ===
But what about when we lose control? What about when we begin developing unhealthy, biased or racial ideas about others or groups? What about when we give into the pressures of fitting in and lose our senses of self-worth and dignity?

What if we could prevent this?

What if we each had an app with face-recognition that could warn us of incoming threats? Or that could read our facial expressions and help us develop more friendly demeanours? What if the app measured our brain activity and sent us notifications and empowerment texts when we were feeling down or more dangerously, attempting self-harm or suicide?

What if this app could sync with our cars and detect an oncoming vehicle and prevent an accident? Or prevent us from going over the speed limit? What if this app was connected to the Police and alerted the necessary individuals of local dangers or medical emergencies?
=== Outweighing the Potential Negatives ===
The dangers of such an app are obvious, such as its information getting in the hands of the wrong individual or group, or it taking away our freedom of choice to make a mistake and grow from there. But, what if it was designed in such a way that each user could program its settings to release certain information to only specific individuals (similar to how a doctor requires that his or her patients sign a medical release before consultation with a colleague or before sharing a medical chart). What if it gave people a greater sense of autonomy and kept the community, our schools, and our social venues safer?
=== Early Inspiration for Biascope ===

Biascope used a combination of existing technologies to develop its first prototypes, before producing and developing their first versions of the app, and first product lineup. Until Biascope, there were no apps or technology that could monitor underlying biases and give feedback in real time. The first algorithms developed for the app were based loosely on the algorithms used by Facebook, Google, and Amazon back in the 2020’s, and still used today.

While they didn’t have apps and devices to specifically monitor and log our biases, emotions and subconscious, social media and other apps would monitor our habits, location and other aspects of our lives.
So many times, we’d be talking about a certain product and within the same day, google or Facebook seem to know exactly what to advertise to us, either through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or even our search engine. Our “suggested” tabs would fill up with products we may have mentioned one or two times in passing. Maybe you spoke to your brother about bulking up? Whey protein, exercise bands, and weight sets seem to be in your “recommended products”, fitness pages, and models are in your explore tab on IG, and Goodlife and LA fitness banners are now littered across your Facebook page… and of course we all clicked. We all want to check out that “goal physique”. We’re curious, how much is that protein powder? What are the benefits? If you’ve liked, shared or saved any of these posts, you’re now telling the algorithm I’M INTERESTED! I WANT THAT! So now even if you were not thinking about this too heavily, it’ll be constantly marketed towards you.

Facebook still has the ability to track other websites you’re visiting even when you’re not using the app/website. Because Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp, it’s not far fetched to think that all of these apps are constantly monitoring the websites you’re visiting, conversations you’re having, and/or places that you’ve been. Google tracks you through services like google maps, weather updates, and browser searches, and can get an idea of places/ businesses you like to visit/frequent, topics and products you’re “googling”, videos of interest (YouTube) etc.

Wearable tech such as fitbits and smart watches were first designed to track your heartbeat, temperature and other vital signs. Front facing cameras can distinguish distinct human faces from one another. Fingerprint sensors can detect and store fingerprints, however there were no apps to translate this data into bias or emotional data.

Initially people were uncomfortable with the idea of being tracked and advertised to personally. Many people thought it to be an invasion of privacy, however safeguards such as location blockers and private modes would prevent sites and apps from tracking you to an extent. While some people were uneasy with these extremely personalized ads, others found them to be convenient, and enjoyed a more tailored ad experience. With Biascope, many people also had reservations and were concerned with privacy issues. People worried that their information would be tracked and stored for purposes such as marketing, and felt uncomfortable with a company having access to their feelings. Similar to Facebook and Google, these people have a choice to not use the technology, however, much like these established tech giants, Biotech is now deeply ingrained in our society and culture. Not using the app to preserve our privacy may cost us job opportunities, and create a social disconnect from our peers. Ironically, people may feel bias towards you for not constantly monitoring, and trying to improve your bias.

While the algorithms used in these websites and apps track your “buying bias”, and search history, it was hard for these algorithms to determine your bias towards race, age, gender, sexual orientation etc., and your emotions and subconscious. There were tests and quizzes to test for bias and general personality types, however these would take time, and required transparency and honesty from the user.

IBM released a program (OpenScale) to monitor their AI and machine learning for bias against protected attributes such as sex, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status etc. These bias monitors help to speed up configuration and ensure that AI models are being checked for fairness against sensitive attributes.

Today, Biascope has taken these algorithms, and combined them with wearable tech that monitors your brainwaves, to determine when you are experiencing negative thoughts and emotions. By using the app, we are better able to understand when we are feeling these negative thoughts, and therefore know when to reflect on why we are experiencing these thoughts. As a result, people have been able to recognize their biases more easily.

== Education ==
=== The Raging Waters of Adolescence ===
Adolescent years are some of the most personally challenging and traumatic years we’ll ever face in our lives. Our bodies experience biological and physiological changes, our emotions go through constant fluctuations, and our mental wellness is tried on a continuous basis because of our changing hormones. In addition to this, our psychological developmental task during these is to begin creating our own identity and breaking away from the ones our parents created for us. It’s a time during which we’re in between childhood and adulthood, and in which we can safely begin wading through the waters of adult responsibilities without totally being held accountable for them.

By and large, this self-identity relies heavily on our peer relationships - the groups we fit into (and hope to be included in), the ways others think of us, and the ways we perceive ourselves based on those of these influences. Adolescence is a time for us to also develop our senses of right and wrong and truth and falsehood. It’s during these years that we begin asking ourselves the “big” questions and thinking about the larger world around us and our place therein. We take risks - largely because our cognitive capacities for decision-making aren’t fully developed yet - and push the boundaries of what we once thought was possible. All this is good and healthy, and should be encouraged.

=== Breaking Barriers of Education ===

[[File: teacher student collaboration.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Collaborative, co-constructivist approach to learning in 2045 enabled with the help of Biascope ]]

Although Biascope was not in use within the education system in the beginning of its time, as other fields began to observe impressive positive outcomes, it became vital in Canada’s education system. Until the 2040s, some of the significant concerns of teacher-student relationships, assessments in school and overall student success were the implicit biases of educators. Research in the 2010s and 2020s shows that students from marginalized groups were continued to be streamed into more college-based courses rather than university education (Maynard, 2013) . Additionally, even the students from marginalized groups who overcame academic barriers were assessed poorly with regards to their “Learning Skills” compared to their peers primarily due to the implicit biases of educators. These biases had detrimental effects on the success of students who were marginalized because of their race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender and difference in ability. To address, alleviate and eventually eliminate these biases, Biascope was deemed necessary to be included in school, especially by professionals in education. A few years later it was also highly recommended to be used by students starting from grade 6.

[[File: Indigenous ways of knowing.png|350px|thumb|right|Biascope has helped educators in overcoming the criticisms of Indigenous Ways of Knowing by reducing subjective assessments in educators. This image is from ''Indigenous Ways of Knowing'' pedagogies of an Ontario elementary school online text when it was first introduced as a key component of the curriculum. It involves narrative-driven learning, visualised learning plans, hands-on/reflective techniques, use of symbols/metaphors, land-based learning, indirect/synergistic logic, modelled/scaffolded genre mastery, and connectedness to community ]]

Until the 2030s the education system relied heavily on standardized tests, where every subject in every grade and school will be assessed through “question and answer” test formats. However, now, with the support of Biascope's technology, the education system has moved towards fewer standardized testing and more collaborative tasks that asses a student’s progress. Some educators who teach subjects like "Mathematics through Art" and "Geographical Politics" have shifted away from what was originally considered to be standardized testing. Students are now far more self-aware and self-reliant since using this technology during has helped identify their own biases at an early stage of development. Most of the current research has shown that self awareness (especially of implicit biases) and self-reliance in education has resulted in young people becoming more empathetic as they grown into adulthood. Additionally, as a result of more self awareness and self inquiry the power dynamics that existed between teachers and students in the 2020s and 2030s is now disrupted. Through combining culturally responsive pedagogies and Indigenous ways of knowing, students and educators work together to co-construct multiple assessment methods that is focused on more meaningful learning unlike the past where “passing” the course was the primary objective for students. Thus, Biascope has facilitated a collaborative learning environment for teachers and learners where student input is a key component of today's education. With this shift of culture in education Biascope holds the promise of encouraging more independent, self reliant and empathetic generations in the future. Furthermore, with education being completely global now and what was considered "remote" learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is now known as just "learning". Students from all over the world have much fewer barriers to pursue education from different countries and cultures and with this expanse of globalization, new biases emerging is seen as inevitable according to the research article, ''"Analysing the Difference Between Escaping and Facing Implicit Biases"'' by Dan et al (2052). Therefore, Biascope has been instrumental in shedding light to newly forming biases by helping individuals overcome cultural barriers and motivating them to work on such barriers and maintain healthy relationships with one another.

=== Biascope's Press Release on Education ===
==== CEO Merridan Sironka's Thoughts on how Biascope has Revolutionized Education ====
June 5th, 2050 marks the 5th anniversary of the introduction of Biascope. Since that time, the app has revolutionized education. With over 20 million downloads worldwide, Biascope consistently ranks in the top ten downloaded apps annually.

Before the release of the Biascope app, the education system was riddled with unconscious bias that led to both subtle and blatant forms of racism, sexism and classism. Research showed that people of colour experienced racism in the education system starting from preschool. One study showed that Black children were suspended almost four times more than White children. Psychological tests showed that teachers often had unconscious, negative beliefs about people outside their own race, gender and economic background. Young boys were often targeted for more severe forms of punishment than their female counterparts. Black boys in particular, had the harshest punishments. Other studies showed that a teacher’s expectation that a child would succeed in their classroom, often led to this result. The opposite was also true, meaning when teachers expected certain students to do badly, they did. This expectation was often tied to gender, race and class, resulting in Caucasian students of middle class homes doing better than other groups. Although anti-bias education for students was introduced over 25 years ago, the results were not successful. While students understood the topic and successfully implemented it in classroom discussions, when examined further it was found that the results did not translate outside the classroom. [[File:TNewspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A retro newspaper clipping of bias issues within schools (2020)]] Similarly, with teachers, although they received extensive anti-bias training on a regular basis, when school populations were examined in studies, a bias in favour of Caucasian students was found to exist.

For this reason, the engineers behind the Biascope app used their knowledge of human nature to create an app that would be sensitive to all aspects of racial, gender, class and sex biases. Since its introduction there has been an 87% drop in racially motivated hate crimes in schools. Similarly, there has been a significant drop in bullying incidents of LGBTQ+ youth. Differences between the success rate of students living below the poverty line compared to those who identified as being part of the middle class has dropped to 14%. The number of suspensions of Black students over other groups has dropped by 93%. After downloading and using Biascope for one year, students reported a more positive view of the opposite sex and different races. 96% of teachers reported using the bias app both in and out of school settings. The majority ranked the app as more necessary to their everyday lives than any social media app. Biascope ranked higher than Facebook and Instagram in this year's Times Review of Social Media Apps. Biascope is happy to be releasing several new features that will be announced in next month’s Biascope Biannual Shareholders Conference.

=== Personal Testimonies ===
Several months after instilling Biascope into schools, a number of students and teachers were asked to provide their testimonies. Following are two notable transcripts that showcase the downfalls and benefits of this technology.

[[Diary of an anonymous 10th grade student:]]

"I’ve been using Biascope for about two or three months now, and I’m going to write a little about how it’s been. At first, it was good because it helped me feel better about myself and l was able to learn about all the ways I’ve been unfair or had bad thoughts without even realizing it. But then, I realized it was also stopping me from making mistakes that I could learn from on my own. Biascope didn’t let me do even the little things that might be problematic because it would warn me right away and I would know, okay, I can’t do that. I’m not saying it’s bad, since I know it’s doing a lot of good things for the world. I just wish it would let me be human without making every negative thought into a lesson."

[[Diary of an anonymous high school teacher:]]

"After installing Biascope, my job has become much more enjoyable and perhaps even easier! There are less problems between the students in school and I think everyone feels more included. It’s safer for sure. In the classroom, we’re able to have respectful discussions and I’m able to assess students based strictly on their learning. I’ve always worried that deep down, I would play favourites, but now I don’t worry about that at all. I can focus on doing what needs to get done and my old worries have been washed away."

== Implications on Society ==
Apart from being highly influential in education, Biascope has shown its promise and worth in law enforcement, the justice system, social lives and relationships.

=== Law ===

[[File:Screenshot.jpeg|250px|thumb|right|Screenshot of Biascope's application from a phone on its first year anniversary in 2046 showing its new feature and disclaimer statement ]]

Law Enforcement:
Biascope was first implemented with the purpose to serve officers of Law Enforcement. This was anticipated to be highly useful by the Government of Canada to address the constant ill-treatment of marginalized persons, specifically Black folks by Law enforcement officers. With efforts to address the concerns brought about the awareness through Black Lives Matter in 2020, Biascope was expected to significantly identify implicit biases in Law enforcement officers. A report of their implicit biases was required to be submitted in a timely manner. Qualitative research done by Prez et al (2046) shows that the use of Biascope showed an immediate reduction in abuse of power specifically against marginalized groups. However a public survey released on March 5th, of 2048 shows that 30 % of the Ontario community feel that this change in bias reduction reflects ineffective change. Similar views were expressed by a Toronto Police officer in an interview on CTV. They will remain anonymous for private and confidential reasons. Their interview is below:

'''Reporter:''' How do you think that the app Biascope has helped your profession?

'''Officer :''' I have heard some of my colleagues appreciating Biascope nd finding it very useful to make decisions in a profession like ours, but others like myself have also expressed a discomfort level with using the app.

'''Reporter:''' Can you talk about some of the factors that cause this discomfort?

'''Officer:''' Of course, first of all some of us feel that solely relying on this Biascope is not sustainable for managing crime in Toronto because we are forgetting to address conscious problematic racist and discriminatory biases. With the app, the assumption is that none of us have conscious discrimination within us and that we left it all in the 2020s and 2030s which is not a realistic belief. I think this app just enables problematic beliefs to be hidden.

'''Reporter:''' The Biascope team have continuously mentioned in their disclaimer statement and interviews that the app is merely a tool to be aware of self-biases and to supplement one's own learning and unlearning with Biascope's aid. By no means do they say that people should completely rely on Biascope . Do you agree?

'''Officer:''' Yes that may or may not have been their intention but I can only speak from my perspective and trust me, in this profession I have noticed that people still carry conscious biases. So how can you address implicit biases without addressing these conscious ones. I respect Biascope's disclaimer statement, however, practically people are gravitating towards completely reliance on the app and recently there have been petitions to charge police officers who have shown more than 10 bias points a day. I mean this is ridiculous.

'''Reporter:''' Yes, I did hear about that. It is concerning especially since the app was meant to be for personal use to bring awareness to the individual.

'''Officer:''' Exactly, and if a person does not intend to learn and unlearn and actively seek to change their views, Biascope might not change much. In fact, it will only further create a mob mentality in people where change is not fully internal.

'''Reporter:''' Thank you for sharing your perspective officer. We will be back with more on this topic once Biascope gets back to us, hopefully soon.

=== Marketing Projections ===
Biascope was developed in 2045 using a combination of technologies to reach and uncover the deepest part of the human psyche – the subconscious. It was introduced to assist the court system, which for decades has been criticized as unfair and outdated. Indeed, it has worked to free thousands of accused criminals who were wrongly imprisoned due to jury decisions and flawed loopholes. On the other hand, it also brought justice to those who were able to walk freely due to their power and status within society. The results were promising; an honest population and a step towards a perfect world. The problems that once plagued humanity suddenly had a clear solution.

Over the next few years, Biascope was licensed and distributed for personal use. It was not mandatory then, yet by 2048 the federal government made the weighty decision to implement this technology into schools. Their reasoning was simple: morally correct students will shape the future into one with less division and more content. Within the studies that were conducted, researchers found that Biascope genuinely makes people into better human beings. They have noted that constantly being reminded of personal bias as well as respectful thoughts encourages individuals to work towards change. While it is too early to tell, there have been speculations that the moderate number of personal users outside of schools have already decreased the amount of conflict that goes on in public places.
=== Resistance to Biascope ===
[[File:AgainstSurveillance.jpeg|270px|thumb|left|Protestors fighting for their right to privacy]] Since the public initiation of Biascope, there has been scepticism of and even full rebellion against this technology. Several groups have publicly declared it an “invasion of privacy,” (Citizens Against Surveillance, 2049) stating that they refuse to have their own subconscious thoughts monitored regardless of who it benefits. Even with the government’s justification for instilling this technology in schools, there is concern about why all students must participate. In response, some radical groups have suggested reverting back to how things were in the early twenty-first century, when “freedom of speech meant something” (Nationalists of NA, 2047), to which critics responded that free speech should not come at the expense of other groups or identities, which is what Biascope aims to fix.

Others have called attention to the growing suspicion that this app is, whether intentionally or not, gearing people to behave and think in the same way. This is because individuals receive similar alerts for similar thoughts, which may unknowingly influence them to change their patterns of thinking altogether. There is, essentially, an ideal way the app assumes people should be thinking. Multiple parents have come forward with reports of growing similarities between their children’s distinct personalities, causing them to question whether the use of Biascope is necessary for so many youths at all times.

== Group Members ==
* Dorian Costa-Kuswanto
* Bronson Manbodh
* Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat-Brown
* Chaumeka Naveenakumar
* Claudia Szulc

== Citations ==

Austin, E. (2018, August 27). Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thegraidenetwork.com/blog-all/2018/8/1/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom

Berghoef, K. (n.d.). What Does Implicit Bias Really Mean? Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-implicit-bias-4165634

Budhia, S. (2020, July 29). Racial Prejudice in the American Education System: Effects of Racism on Black Students' Lives and Academic Success. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://openamericas.org/2017/12/27/racial-prejudice-in-the-american-education-system-effects-of-racism-on-black-students-lives-and-academic-success/

Maynard , R. (2017). Policing Black Lives. Fernwood Publishing, fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives.

Parekh, B. (2018). Learning Skills, System Equity, and Implicit Bias Within Ontario, Canada. Educational Policy (Los Altos, Calif.), 089590481881330–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303

File:Screenshot.jpeg

2020-11-29T06:17:15Z

Chaumeka:

World 3

2020-11-29T06:09:48Z

Chaumeka: /* Breaking Barriers of Education */

== Biascope ==

[[File:Logo.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Biascope's Logo]]

Biascope Corp. is a Canadian biotech company specializing in consumer goods such as wearable tech and smartphone applications, established in 2045 by Merridan Sironka. The app utilizes an algorithm and wearable technology, such as EEG earbuds and a smartwatch heart monitor, to detect brain wave activity and heart rate to measure bias. Sironka started developing this technology after constantly witnessing her parents being denied opportunities based on their backgrounds and perceived identities.

== The Blueprint for Biascope ==
=== Imagine... ===
Imagine a world in which car crashes could be prevented, school shootings could be eliminated, racism could significantly decline, and we’d feel better about ourselves and have greater capacities for self-respect and feelings of worth.

We envision a world in which humans are better able to regulate their emotional and physical wellbeing by the use of an app, downloadable to both smart devices and laptops. Similar to a smart watch, this app monitors heart rate, counts steps, etc. but is also equipped with an AI brain that allows it to detect our subconscious thoughts and emotions. It’ll be able to monitor our brain waves and activity and also pick up signals of developing thoughts of bias, hatred, anger, and the like.
=== Potential Preventions ===
But what about when we lose control? What about when we begin developing unhealthy, biased or racial ideas about others or groups? What about when we give into the pressures of fitting in and lose our senses of self-worth and dignity?

What if we could prevent this?

What if we each had an app with face-recognition that could warn us of incoming threats? Or that could read our facial expressions and help us develop more friendly demeanours? What if the app measured our brain activity and sent us notifications and empowerment texts when we were feeling down or more dangerously, attempting self-harm or suicide?

What if this app could sync with our cars and detect an oncoming vehicle and prevent an accident? Or prevent us from going over the speed limit? What if this app was connected to the Police and alerted the necessary individuals of local dangers or medical emergencies?
=== Outweighing the Potential Negatives ===
The dangers of such an app are obvious, such as its information getting in the hands of the wrong individual or group, or it taking away our freedom of choice to make a mistake and grow from there. But, what if it was designed in such a way that each user could program its settings to release certain information to only specific individuals (similar to how a doctor requires that his or her patients sign a medical release before consultation with a colleague or before sharing a medical chart). What if it gave people a greater sense of autonomy and kept the community, our schools, and our social venues safer?
=== Early Inspiration for Biascope ===

Biascope used a combination of existing technologies to develop its first prototypes, before producing and developing their first versions of the app, and first product lineup. Until Biascope, there were no apps or technology that could monitor underlying biases and give feedback in real time. The first algorithms developed for the app were based loosely on the algorithms used by Facebook, Google, and Amazon back in the 2020’s, and still used today.

While they didn’t have apps and devices to specifically monitor and log our biases, emotions and subconscious, social media and other apps would monitor our habits, location and other aspects of our lives.
So many times, we’d be talking about a certain product and within the same day, google or Facebook seem to know exactly what to advertise to us, either through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or even our search engine. Our “suggested” tabs would fill up with products we may have mentioned one or two times in passing. Maybe you spoke to your brother about bulking up? Whey protein, exercise bands, and weight sets seem to be in your “recommended products”, fitness pages, and models are in your explore tab on IG, and Goodlife and LA fitness banners are now littered across your Facebook page… and of course we all clicked. We all want to check out that “goal physique”. We’re curious, how much is that protein powder? What are the benefits? If you’ve liked, shared or saved any of these posts, you’re now telling the algorithm I’M INTERESTED! I WANT THAT! So now even if you were not thinking about this too heavily, it’ll be constantly marketed towards you.

Facebook still has the ability to track other websites you’re visiting even when you’re not using the app/website. Because Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp, it’s not far fetched to think that all of these apps are constantly monitoring the websites you’re visiting, conversations you’re having, and/or places that you’ve been. Google tracks you through services like google maps, weather updates, and browser searches, and can get an idea of places/ businesses you like to visit/frequent, topics and products you’re “googling”, videos of interest (YouTube) etc.

Wearable tech such as fitbits and smart watches were first designed to track your heartbeat, temperature and other vital signs. Front facing cameras can distinguish distinct human faces from one another. Fingerprint sensors can detect and store fingerprints, however there were no apps to translate this data into bias or emotional data.

Initially people were uncomfortable with the idea of being tracked and advertised to personally. Many people thought it to be an invasion of privacy, however safeguards such as location blockers and private modes would prevent sites and apps from tracking you to an extent. While some people were uneasy with these extremely personalized ads, others found them to be convenient, and enjoyed a more tailored ad experience. With Biascope, many people also had reservations and were concerned with privacy issues. People worried that their information would be tracked and stored for purposes such as marketing, and felt uncomfortable with a company having access to their feelings. Similar to Facebook and Google, these people have a choice to not use the technology, however, much like these established tech giants, Biotech is now deeply ingrained in our society and culture. Not using the app to preserve our privacy may cost us job opportunities, and create a social disconnect from our peers. Ironically, people may feel bias towards you for not constantly monitoring, and trying to improve your bias.

While the algorithms used in these websites and apps track your “buying bias”, and search history, it was hard for these algorithms to determine your bias towards race, age, gender, sexual orientation etc., and your emotions and subconscious. There were tests and quizzes to test for bias and general personality types, however these would take time, and required transparency and honesty from the user.

IBM released a program (OpenScale) to monitor their AI and machine learning for bias against protected attributes such as sex, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status etc. These bias monitors help to speed up configuration and ensure that AI models are being checked for fairness against sensitive attributes.

Today, Biascope has taken these algorithms, and combined them with wearable tech that monitors your brainwaves, to determine when you are experiencing negative thoughts and emotions. By using the app, we are better able to understand when we are feeling these negative thoughts, and therefore know when to reflect on why we are experiencing these thoughts. As a result, people have been able to recognize their biases more easily.

== Education ==
=== The Raging Waters of Adolescence ===
Adolescent years are some of the most personally challenging and traumatic years we’ll ever face in our lives. Our bodies experience biological and physiological changes, our emotions go through constant fluctuations, and our mental wellness is tried on a continuous basis because of our changing hormones. In addition to this, our psychological developmental task during these is to begin creating our own identity and breaking away from the ones our parents created for us. It’s a time during which we’re in between childhood and adulthood, and in which we can safely begin wading through the waters of adult responsibilities without totally being held accountable for them.

By and large, this self-identity relies heavily on our peer relationships - the groups we fit into (and hope to be included in), the ways others think of us, and the ways we perceive ourselves based on those of these influences. Adolescence is a time for us to also develop our senses of right and wrong and truth and falsehood. It’s during these years that we begin asking ourselves the “big” questions and thinking about the larger world around us and our place therein. We take risks - largely because our cognitive capacities for decision-making aren’t fully developed yet - and push the boundaries of what we once thought was possible. All this is good and healthy, and should be encouraged.

=== Breaking Barriers of Education ===

[[File: teacher student collaboration.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Collaborative, co-constructivist approach to learning in 2045 enabled with the help of Biascope ]]

Although Biascope was not in use within the education system in the beginning of its time, as other fields began to observe impressive positive outcomes, it became vital in Canada’s education system. Until the 2040s, some of the significant concerns of teacher-student relationships, assessments in school and overall student success were the implicit biases of educators. Research in the 2010s and 2020s shows that students from marginalized groups were continued to be streamed into more college-based courses rather than university education (Maynard, 2013) . Additionally, even the students from marginalized groups who overcame academic barriers were assessed poorly with regards to their “Learning Skills” compared to their peers primarily due to the implicit biases of educators. These biases had detrimental effects on the success of students who were marginalized because of their race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender and difference in ability. To address, alleviate and eventually eliminate these biases, Biascope was deemed necessary to be included in school, especially by professionals in education. A few years later it was also highly recommended to be used by students starting from grade 6.

[[File: Indigenous ways of knowing.png|350px|thumb|right|Biascope has helped educators in overcoming the criticisms of Indigenous Ways of Knowing by reducing subjective assessments in educators. This image is from ''Indigenous Ways of Knowing'' pedagogies of an Ontario elementary school online text when it was first introduced as a key component of the curriculum. It involves narrative-driven learning, visualised learning plans, hands-on/reflective techniques, use of symbols/metaphors, land-based learning, indirect/synergistic logic, modelled/scaffolded genre mastery, and connectedness to community ]]

Until the 2030s the education system relied heavily on standardized tests, where every subject in every grade and school will be assessed through “question and answer” test formats. However, now, with the support of Biascope's technology, the education system has moved towards fewer standardized testing and more collaborative tasks that asses a student’s progress. Some educators who teach subjects like "Mathematics through Art" and "Geographical Politics" have shifted away from what was originally considered to be standardized testing. Students are now far more self-aware and self-reliant since using this technology during has helped identify their own biases at an early stage of development. Most of the current research has shown that self awareness (especially of implicit biases) and self-reliance in education has resulted in young people becoming more empathetic as they grown into adulthood. Additionally, as a result of more self awareness and self inquiry the power dynamics that existed between teachers and students in the 2020s and 2030s is now disrupted. Through combining culturally responsive pedagogies and Indigenous ways of knowing, students and educators work together to co-construct multiple assessment methods that is focused on more meaningful learning unlike the past where “passing” the course was the primary objective for students. Thus, Biascope has facilitated a collaborative learning environment for teachers and learners where student input is a key component of today's education. With this shift of culture in education Biascope holds the promise of encouraging more independent, self reliant and empathetic generations in the future. Furthermore, with education being completely global now and what was considered "remote" learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is now known as just "learning". Students from all over the world have much fewer barriers to pursue education from different countries and cultures and with this expanse of globalization, new biases emerging is seen as inevitable according to the research article, ''"Analysing the Difference Between Escaping and Facing Implicit Biases"'' by Dan et al (2052). Therefore, Biascope has been instrumental in shedding light to newly forming biases by helping individuals overcome cultural barriers and motivating them to work on such barriers and maintain healthy relationships with one another.

=== Biascope's Press Release on Education ===
==== CEO Merridan Sironka's Thoughts on how Biascope has Revolutionized Education ====
June 5th, 2050 marks the 5th anniversary of the introduction of Biascope. Since that time, the app has revolutionized education. With over 20 million downloads worldwide, Biascope consistently ranks in the top ten downloaded apps annually.

Before the release of the Biascope app, the education system was riddled with unconscious bias that led to both subtle and blatant forms of racism, sexism and classism. Research showed that people of colour experienced racism in the education system starting from preschool. One study showed that Black children were suspended almost four times more than White children. Psychological tests showed that teachers often had unconscious, negative beliefs about people outside their own race, gender and economic background. Young boys were often targeted for more severe forms of punishment than their female counterparts. Black boys in particular, had the harshest punishments. Other studies showed that a teacher’s expectation that a child would succeed in their classroom, often led to this result. The opposite was also true, meaning when teachers expected certain students to do badly, they did. This expectation was often tied to gender, race and class, resulting in Caucasian students of middle class homes doing better than other groups. Although anti-bias education for students was introduced over 25 years ago, the results were not successful. While students understood the topic and successfully implemented it in classroom discussions, when examined further it was found that the results did not translate outside the classroom. [[File:TNewspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A retro newspaper clipping of bias issues within schools (2020)]] Similarly, with teachers, although they received extensive anti-bias training on a regular basis, when school populations were examined in studies, a bias in favour of Caucasian students was found to exist.

For this reason, the engineers behind the Biascope app used their knowledge of human nature to create an app that would be sensitive to all aspects of racial, gender, class and sex biases. Since its introduction there has been an 87% drop in racially motivated hate crimes in schools. Similarly, there has been a significant drop in bullying incidents of LGBTQ+ youth. Differences between the success rate of students living below the poverty line compared to those who identified as being part of the middle class has dropped to 14%. The number of suspensions of Black students over other groups has dropped by 93%. After downloading and using Biascope for one year, students reported a more positive view of the opposite sex and different races. 96% of teachers reported using the bias app both in and out of school settings. The majority ranked the app as more necessary to their everyday lives than any social media app. Biascope ranked higher than Facebook and Instagram in this year's Times Review of Social Media Apps. Biascope is happy to be releasing several new features that will be announced in next month’s Biascope Biannual Shareholders Conference.

=== Personal Testimonies ===
Several months after instilling Biascope into schools, a number of students and teachers were asked to provide their testimonies. Following are two notable transcripts that showcase the downfalls and benefits of this technology.

[[Diary of an anonymous 10th grade student:]]

"I’ve been using Biascope for about two or three months now, and I’m going to write a little about how it’s been. At first, it was good because it helped me feel better about myself and l was able to learn about all the ways I’ve been unfair or had bad thoughts without even realizing it. But then, I realized it was also stopping me from making mistakes that I could learn from on my own. Biascope didn’t let me do even the little things that might be problematic because it would warn me right away and I would know, okay, I can’t do that. I’m not saying it’s bad, since I know it’s doing a lot of good things for the world. I just wish it would let me be human without making every negative thought into a lesson."

[[Diary of an anonymous high school teacher:]]

"After installing Biascope, my job has become much more enjoyable and perhaps even easier! There are less problems between the students in school and I think everyone feels more included. It’s safer for sure. In the classroom, we’re able to have respectful discussions and I’m able to assess students based strictly on their learning. I’ve always worried that deep down, I would play favourites, but now I don’t worry about that at all. I can focus on doing what needs to get done and my old worries have been washed away."

== Implications on Society ==
Apart from being highly influential in education, Biascope has shown its promise and worth in law enforcement, the justice system, social lives and relationships.

=== Law ===
Law Enforcement:
Biascope was first implemented with the purpose to serve officers of Law Enforcement. This was anticipated to be highly useful by the Government of Canada to address the constant ill-treatment of marginalized persons, specifically Black folks by Law enforcement officers. With efforts to address the concerns brought about the awareness through Black Lives Matter in 2020, Biascope was expected to significantly identify implicit biases in Law enforcement officers. A report of their implicit biases was required to be submitted in a timely manner. Qualitative research done by Prez et al (2046) shows that the use of Biascope showed an immediate reduction in abuse of power specifically against marginalized groups. However a public survey released on March 5th, of 2048 shows that 30 % of the Ontario community feel that this change in bias reduction reflects ineffective change. Similar views were expressed by a Toronto Police officer in an interview on CTV. They will remain anonymous for private and confidential reasons. Their interview is below:

'''Reporter:''' How do you think that the app Biascope has helped your profession?

'''Officer :''' I have heard some of my colleagues appreciating Biascope nd finding it very useful to make decisions in a profession like ours, but others like myself have also expressed a discomfort level with using the app.

'''Reporter:''' Can you talk about some of the factors that cause this discomfort?

'''Officer:''' Of course, first of all some of us feel that solely relying on this Biascope is not sustainable for managing crime in Toronto because we are forgetting to address conscious problematic racist and discriminatory biases. With the app, the assumption is that none of us have conscious discrimination within us and that we left it all in the 2020s and 2030s which is not a realistic belief. I think this app just enables problematic beliefs to be hidden.

'''Reporter:''' The Biascope team have continuously mentioned in their disclaimer statement and interviews that the app is merely a tool to be aware of self-biases and to supplement one's own learning and unlearning with Biascope's aid. By no means do they say that people should completely rely on Biascope . Do you agree?

'''Officer:''' Yes that may or may not have been their intention but I can only speak from my perspective and trust me, in this profession I have noticed that people still carry conscious biases. So how can you address implicit biases without addressing these conscious ones. I respect Biascope's disclaimer statement, however, practically people are gravitating towards completely reliance on the app and recently there have been petitions to charge police officers who have shown more than 10 bias points a day. I mean this is ridiculous.

'''Reporter:''' Yes, I did hear about that. It is concerning especially since the app was meant to be for personal use to bring awareness to the individual.

'''Officer:''' Exactly, and if a person does not intend to learn and unlearn and actively seek to change their views, Biascope might not change much. In fact, it will only further create a mob mentality in people where change is not fully internal.

'''Reporter:''' Thank you for sharing your perspective officer. We will be back with more on this topic once Biascope gets back to us, hopefully soon.

=== Marketing Projections ===
Biascope was developed in 2045 using a combination of technologies to reach and uncover the deepest part of the human psyche – the subconscious. It was introduced to assist the court system, which for decades has been criticized as unfair and outdated. Indeed, it has worked to free thousands of accused criminals who were wrongly imprisoned due to jury decisions and flawed loopholes. On the other hand, it also brought justice to those who were able to walk freely due to their power and status within society. The results were promising; an honest population and a step towards a perfect world. The problems that once plagued humanity suddenly had a clear solution.

Over the next few years, Biascope was licensed and distributed for personal use. It was not mandatory then, yet by 2048 the federal government made the weighty decision to implement this technology into schools. Their reasoning was simple: morally correct students will shape the future into one with less division and more content. Within the studies that were conducted, researchers found that Biascope genuinely makes people into better human beings. They have noted that constantly being reminded of personal bias as well as respectful thoughts encourages individuals to work towards change. While it is too early to tell, there have been speculations that the moderate number of personal users outside of schools have already decreased the amount of conflict that goes on in public places.
=== Resistance to Biascope ===
[[File:AgainstSurveillance.jpeg|270px|thumb|left|Protestors fighting for their right to privacy]] Since the public initiation of Biascope, there has been scepticism of and even full rebellion against this technology. Several groups have publicly declared it an “invasion of privacy,” (Citizens Against Surveillance, 2049) stating that they refuse to have their own subconscious thoughts monitored regardless of who it benefits. Even with the government’s justification for instilling this technology in schools, there is concern about why all students must participate. In response, some radical groups have suggested reverting back to how things were in the early twenty-first century, when “freedom of speech meant something” (Nationalists of NA, 2047), to which critics responded that free speech should not come at the expense of other groups or identities, which is what Biascope aims to fix.

Others have called attention to the growing suspicion that this app is, whether intentionally or not, gearing people to behave and think in the same way. This is because individuals receive similar alerts for similar thoughts, which may unknowingly influence them to change their patterns of thinking altogether. There is, essentially, an ideal way the app assumes people should be thinking. Multiple parents have come forward with reports of growing similarities between their children’s distinct personalities, causing them to question whether the use of Biascope is necessary for so many youths at all times.

== Group Members ==
* Dorian Costa-Kuswanto
* Bronson Manbodh
* Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat-Brown
* Chaumeka Naveenakumar
* Claudia Szulc

== Citations ==

Austin, E. (2018, August 27). Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thegraidenetwork.com/blog-all/2018/8/1/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom

Berghoef, K. (n.d.). What Does Implicit Bias Really Mean? Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-implicit-bias-4165634

Budhia, S. (2020, July 29). Racial Prejudice in the American Education System: Effects of Racism on Black Students' Lives and Academic Success. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://openamericas.org/2017/12/27/racial-prejudice-in-the-american-education-system-effects-of-racism-on-black-students-lives-and-academic-success/

Maynard , R. (2017). Policing Black Lives. Fernwood Publishing, fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives.

Parekh, B. (2018). Learning Skills, System Equity, and Implicit Bias Within Ontario, Canada. Educational Policy (Los Altos, Calif.), 089590481881330–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303

World 3

2020-11-29T06:08:42Z

Chaumeka: /* Breaking Barriers of Education */

== Biascope ==

[[File:Logo.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Biascope's Logo]]

Biascope Corp. is a Canadian biotech company specializing in consumer goods such as wearable tech and smartphone applications, established in 2045 by Merridan Sironka. The app utilizes an algorithm and wearable technology, such as EEG earbuds and a smartwatch heart monitor, to detect brain wave activity and heart rate to measure bias. Sironka started developing this technology after constantly witnessing her parents being denied opportunities based on their backgrounds and perceived identities.

== The Blueprint for Biascope ==
=== Imagine... ===
Imagine a world in which car crashes could be prevented, school shootings could be eliminated, racism could significantly decline, and we’d feel better about ourselves and have greater capacities for self-respect and feelings of worth.

We envision a world in which humans are better able to regulate their emotional and physical wellbeing by the use of an app, downloadable to both smart devices and laptops. Similar to a smart watch, this app monitors heart rate, counts steps, etc. but is also equipped with an AI brain that allows it to detect our subconscious thoughts and emotions. It’ll be able to monitor our brain waves and activity and also pick up signals of developing thoughts of bias, hatred, anger, and the like.
=== Potential Preventions ===
But what about when we lose control? What about when we begin developing unhealthy, biased or racial ideas about others or groups? What about when we give into the pressures of fitting in and lose our senses of self-worth and dignity?

What if we could prevent this?

What if we each had an app with face-recognition that could warn us of incoming threats? Or that could read our facial expressions and help us develop more friendly demeanours? What if the app measured our brain activity and sent us notifications and empowerment texts when we were feeling down or more dangerously, attempting self-harm or suicide?

What if this app could sync with our cars and detect an oncoming vehicle and prevent an accident? Or prevent us from going over the speed limit? What if this app was connected to the Police and alerted the necessary individuals of local dangers or medical emergencies?
=== Outweighing the Potential Negatives ===
The dangers of such an app are obvious, such as its information getting in the hands of the wrong individual or group, or it taking away our freedom of choice to make a mistake and grow from there. But, what if it was designed in such a way that each user could program its settings to release certain information to only specific individuals (similar to how a doctor requires that his or her patients sign a medical release before consultation with a colleague or before sharing a medical chart). What if it gave people a greater sense of autonomy and kept the community, our schools, and our social venues safer?
=== Early Inspiration for Biascope ===

Biascope used a combination of existing technologies to develop its first prototypes, before producing and developing their first versions of the app, and first product lineup. Until Biascope, there were no apps or technology that could monitor underlying biases and give feedback in real time. The first algorithms developed for the app were based loosely on the algorithms used by Facebook, Google, and Amazon back in the 2020’s, and still used today.

While they didn’t have apps and devices to specifically monitor and log our biases, emotions and subconscious, social media and other apps would monitor our habits, location and other aspects of our lives.
So many times, we’d be talking about a certain product and within the same day, google or Facebook seem to know exactly what to advertise to us, either through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or even our search engine. Our “suggested” tabs would fill up with products we may have mentioned one or two times in passing. Maybe you spoke to your brother about bulking up? Whey protein, exercise bands, and weight sets seem to be in your “recommended products”, fitness pages, and models are in your explore tab on IG, and Goodlife and LA fitness banners are now littered across your Facebook page… and of course we all clicked. We all want to check out that “goal physique”. We’re curious, how much is that protein powder? What are the benefits? If you’ve liked, shared or saved any of these posts, you’re now telling the algorithm I’M INTERESTED! I WANT THAT! So now even if you were not thinking about this too heavily, it’ll be constantly marketed towards you.

Facebook still has the ability to track other websites you’re visiting even when you’re not using the app/website. Because Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp, it’s not far fetched to think that all of these apps are constantly monitoring the websites you’re visiting, conversations you’re having, and/or places that you’ve been. Google tracks you through services like google maps, weather updates, and browser searches, and can get an idea of places/ businesses you like to visit/frequent, topics and products you’re “googling”, videos of interest (YouTube) etc.

Wearable tech such as fitbits and smart watches were first designed to track your heartbeat, temperature and other vital signs. Front facing cameras can distinguish distinct human faces from one another. Fingerprint sensors can detect and store fingerprints, however there were no apps to translate this data into bias or emotional data.

Initially people were uncomfortable with the idea of being tracked and advertised to personally. Many people thought it to be an invasion of privacy, however safeguards such as location blockers and private modes would prevent sites and apps from tracking you to an extent. While some people were uneasy with these extremely personalized ads, others found them to be convenient, and enjoyed a more tailored ad experience. With Biascope, many people also had reservations and were concerned with privacy issues. People worried that their information would be tracked and stored for purposes such as marketing, and felt uncomfortable with a company having access to their feelings. Similar to Facebook and Google, these people have a choice to not use the technology, however, much like these established tech giants, Biotech is now deeply ingrained in our society and culture. Not using the app to preserve our privacy may cost us job opportunities, and create a social disconnect from our peers. Ironically, people may feel bias towards you for not constantly monitoring, and trying to improve your bias.

While the algorithms used in these websites and apps track your “buying bias”, and search history, it was hard for these algorithms to determine your bias towards race, age, gender, sexual orientation etc., and your emotions and subconscious. There were tests and quizzes to test for bias and general personality types, however these would take time, and required transparency and honesty from the user.

IBM released a program (OpenScale) to monitor their AI and machine learning for bias against protected attributes such as sex, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status etc. These bias monitors help to speed up configuration and ensure that AI models are being checked for fairness against sensitive attributes.

Today, Biascope has taken these algorithms, and combined them with wearable tech that monitors your brainwaves, to determine when you are experiencing negative thoughts and emotions. By using the app, we are better able to understand when we are feeling these negative thoughts, and therefore know when to reflect on why we are experiencing these thoughts. As a result, people have been able to recognize their biases more easily.

== Education ==
=== The Raging Waters of Adolescence ===
Adolescent years are some of the most personally challenging and traumatic years we’ll ever face in our lives. Our bodies experience biological and physiological changes, our emotions go through constant fluctuations, and our mental wellness is tried on a continuous basis because of our changing hormones. In addition to this, our psychological developmental task during these is to begin creating our own identity and breaking away from the ones our parents created for us. It’s a time during which we’re in between childhood and adulthood, and in which we can safely begin wading through the waters of adult responsibilities without totally being held accountable for them.

By and large, this self-identity relies heavily on our peer relationships - the groups we fit into (and hope to be included in), the ways others think of us, and the ways we perceive ourselves based on those of these influences. Adolescence is a time for us to also develop our senses of right and wrong and truth and falsehood. It’s during these years that we begin asking ourselves the “big” questions and thinking about the larger world around us and our place therein. We take risks - largely because our cognitive capacities for decision-making aren’t fully developed yet - and push the boundaries of what we once thought was possible. All this is good and healthy, and should be encouraged.

=== Breaking Barriers of Education ===

[[File: teacher student collaboration.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Collaborative, co-constructivist approach to learning in 2045 enabled with the help of Biascope ]]

Although Biascope was not in use within the education system in the beginning of its time, as other fields began to observe impressive positive outcomes, it became vital in Canada’s education system. Until the 2040s, some of the significant concerns of teacher-student relationships, assessments in school and overall student success were the implicit biases of educators. Research in the 2010s and 2020s shows that students from marginalized groups were continued to be streamed into more college-based courses rather than university education (Maynard, 2013) . Additionally, even the students from marginalized groups who overcame academic barriers were assessed poorly with regards to their “Learning Skills” compared to their peers primarily due to the implicit biases of educators. These biases had detrimental effects on the success of students who were marginalized because of their race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender and difference in ability. To address, alleviate and eventually eliminate these biases, Biascope was deemed necessary to be included in school, especially by professionals in education. A few years later it was also highly recommended to be used by students starting from grade 6.

[[File: Indigenous ways of knowing.png|350px|thumb|right|Biascope has helped educators in overcoming the criticisms of Indigenous Ways of Knowing by reducing subjective assessments in educators. This image is from ''Indigenous Ways of Knowing'' pedagogies of an Ontario elementary school online text when it was first introduces as a key component of the curriculum. It involves narrative-driven learning, visualised learning plans, hands-on/reflective techniques, use of symbols/metaphors, land-based learning, indirect/synergistic logic, modelled/scaffolded genre mastery, and connectedness to community ]]

Until the 2030s the education system relied heavily on standardized tests, where every subject in every grade and school will be assessed through “question and answer” test formats. However, now, with the support of Biascope's technology, the education system has moved towards fewer standardized testing and more collaborative tasks that asses a student’s progress. Some educators who teach subjects like "Mathematics through Art" and "Geographical Politics" have shifted away from what was originally considered to be standardized testing. Students are now far more self-aware and self-reliant since using this technology during has helped identify their own biases at an early stage of development. Most of the current research has shown that self awareness (especially of implicit biases) and self-reliance in education has resulted in young people becoming more empathetic as they grown into adulthood. Additionally, as a result of more self awareness and self inquiry the power dynamics that existed between teachers and students in the 2020s and 2030s is now disrupted. Through combining culturally responsive pedagogies and Indigenous ways of knowing, students and educators work together to co-construct multiple assessment methods that is focused on more meaningful learning unlike the past where “passing” the course was the primary objective for students. Thus, Biascope has facilitated a collaborative learning environment for teachers and learners where student input is a key component of today's education. With this shift of culture in education Biascope holds the promise of encouraging more independent, self reliant and empathetic generations in the future. Furthermore, with education being completely global now and what was considered "remote" learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is now known as just "learning". Students from all over the world have much fewer barriers to pursue education from different countries and cultures and with this expanse of globalization, new biases emerging is seen as inevitable according to the research article, ''"Analysing the Difference Between Escaping and Facing Implicit Biases"'' by Dan et al (2052). Therefore, Biascope has been instrumental in shedding light to newly forming biases by helping individuals overcome cultural barriers and motivating them to work on such barriers and maintain healthy relationships with one another.

=== Biascope's Press Release on Education ===
==== CEO Merridan Sironka's Thoughts on how Biascope has Revolutionized Education ====
June 5th, 2050 marks the 5th anniversary of the introduction of Biascope. Since that time, the app has revolutionized education. With over 20 million downloads worldwide, Biascope consistently ranks in the top ten downloaded apps annually.

Before the release of the Biascope app, the education system was riddled with unconscious bias that led to both subtle and blatant forms of racism, sexism and classism. Research showed that people of colour experienced racism in the education system starting from preschool. One study showed that Black children were suspended almost four times more than White children. Psychological tests showed that teachers often had unconscious, negative beliefs about people outside their own race, gender and economic background. Young boys were often targeted for more severe forms of punishment than their female counterparts. Black boys in particular, had the harshest punishments. Other studies showed that a teacher’s expectation that a child would succeed in their classroom, often led to this result. The opposite was also true, meaning when teachers expected certain students to do badly, they did. This expectation was often tied to gender, race and class, resulting in Caucasian students of middle class homes doing better than other groups. Although anti-bias education for students was introduced over 25 years ago, the results were not successful. While students understood the topic and successfully implemented it in classroom discussions, when examined further it was found that the results did not translate outside the classroom. [[File:TNewspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A retro newspaper clipping of bias issues within schools (2020)]] Similarly, with teachers, although they received extensive anti-bias training on a regular basis, when school populations were examined in studies, a bias in favour of Caucasian students was found to exist.

For this reason, the engineers behind the Biascope app used their knowledge of human nature to create an app that would be sensitive to all aspects of racial, gender, class and sex biases. Since its introduction there has been an 87% drop in racially motivated hate crimes in schools. Similarly, there has been a significant drop in bullying incidents of LGBTQ+ youth. Differences between the success rate of students living below the poverty line compared to those who identified as being part of the middle class has dropped to 14%. The number of suspensions of Black students over other groups has dropped by 93%. After downloading and using Biascope for one year, students reported a more positive view of the opposite sex and different races. 96% of teachers reported using the bias app both in and out of school settings. The majority ranked the app as more necessary to their everyday lives than any social media app. Biascope ranked higher than Facebook and Instagram in this year's Times Review of Social Media Apps. Biascope is happy to be releasing several new features that will be announced in next month’s Biascope Biannual Shareholders Conference.

=== Personal Testimonies ===
Several months after instilling Biascope into schools, a number of students and teachers were asked to provide their testimonies. Following are two notable transcripts that showcase the downfalls and benefits of this technology.

[[Diary of an anonymous 10th grade student:]]

"I’ve been using Biascope for about two or three months now, and I’m going to write a little about how it’s been. At first, it was good because it helped me feel better about myself and l was able to learn about all the ways I’ve been unfair or had bad thoughts without even realizing it. But then, I realized it was also stopping me from making mistakes that I could learn from on my own. Biascope didn’t let me do even the little things that might be problematic because it would warn me right away and I would know, okay, I can’t do that. I’m not saying it’s bad, since I know it’s doing a lot of good things for the world. I just wish it would let me be human without making every negative thought into a lesson."

[[Diary of an anonymous high school teacher:]]

"After installing Biascope, my job has become much more enjoyable and perhaps even easier! There are less problems between the students in school and I think everyone feels more included. It’s safer for sure. In the classroom, we’re able to have respectful discussions and I’m able to assess students based strictly on their learning. I’ve always worried that deep down, I would play favourites, but now I don’t worry about that at all. I can focus on doing what needs to get done and my old worries have been washed away."

== Implications on Society ==
Apart from being highly influential in education, Biascope has shown its promise and worth in law enforcement, the justice system, social lives and relationships.

=== Law ===
Law Enforcement:
Biascope was first implemented with the purpose to serve officers of Law Enforcement. This was anticipated to be highly useful by the Government of Canada to address the constant ill-treatment of marginalized persons, specifically Black folks by Law enforcement officers. With efforts to address the concerns brought about the awareness through Black Lives Matter in 2020, Biascope was expected to significantly identify implicit biases in Law enforcement officers. A report of their implicit biases was required to be submitted in a timely manner. Qualitative research done by Prez et al (2046) shows that the use of Biascope showed an immediate reduction in abuse of power specifically against marginalized groups. However a public survey released on March 5th, of 2048 shows that 30 % of the Ontario community feel that this change in bias reduction reflects ineffective change. Similar views were expressed by a Toronto Police officer in an interview on CTV. They will remain anonymous for private and confidential reasons. Their interview is below:

'''Reporter:''' How do you think that the app Biascope has helped your profession?

'''Officer :''' I have heard some of my colleagues appreciating Biascope nd finding it very useful to make decisions in a profession like ours, but others like myself have also expressed a discomfort level with using the app.

'''Reporter:''' Can you talk about some of the factors that cause this discomfort?

'''Officer:''' Of course, first of all some of us feel that solely relying on this Biascope is not sustainable for managing crime in Toronto because we are forgetting to address conscious problematic racist and discriminatory biases. With the app, the assumption is that none of us have conscious discrimination within us and that we left it all in the 2020s and 2030s which is not a realistic belief. I think this app just enables problematic beliefs to be hidden.

'''Reporter:''' The Biascope team have continuously mentioned in their disclaimer statement and interviews that the app is merely a tool to be aware of self-biases and to supplement one's own learning and unlearning with Biascope's aid. By no means do they say that people should completely rely on Biascope . Do you agree?

'''Officer:''' Yes that may or may not have been their intention but I can only speak from my perspective and trust me, in this profession I have noticed that people still carry conscious biases. So how can you address implicit biases without addressing these conscious ones. I respect Biascope's disclaimer statement, however, practically people are gravitating towards completely reliance on the app and recently there have been petitions to charge police officers who have shown more than 10 bias points a day. I mean this is ridiculous.

'''Reporter:''' Yes, I did hear about that. It is concerning especially since the app was meant to be for personal use to bring awareness to the individual.

'''Officer:''' Exactly, and if a person does not intend to learn and unlearn and actively seek to change their views, Biascope might not change much. In fact, it will only further create a mob mentality in people where change is not fully internal.

'''Reporter:''' Thank you for sharing your perspective officer. We will be back with more on this topic once Biascope gets back to us, hopefully soon.

=== Marketing Projections ===
Biascope was developed in 2045 using a combination of technologies to reach and uncover the deepest part of the human psyche – the subconscious. It was introduced to assist the court system, which for decades has been criticized as unfair and outdated. Indeed, it has worked to free thousands of accused criminals who were wrongly imprisoned due to jury decisions and flawed loopholes. On the other hand, it also brought justice to those who were able to walk freely due to their power and status within society. The results were promising; an honest population and a step towards a perfect world. The problems that once plagued humanity suddenly had a clear solution.

Over the next few years, Biascope was licensed and distributed for personal use. It was not mandatory then, yet by 2048 the federal government made the weighty decision to implement this technology into schools. Their reasoning was simple: morally correct students will shape the future into one with less division and more content. Within the studies that were conducted, researchers found that Biascope genuinely makes people into better human beings. They have noted that constantly being reminded of personal bias as well as respectful thoughts encourages individuals to work towards change. While it is too early to tell, there have been speculations that the moderate number of personal users outside of schools have already decreased the amount of conflict that goes on in public places.
=== Resistance to Biascope ===
[[File:AgainstSurveillance.jpeg|270px|thumb|left|Protestors fighting for their right to privacy]] Since the public initiation of Biascope, there has been scepticism of and even full rebellion against this technology. Several groups have publicly declared it an “invasion of privacy,” (Citizens Against Surveillance, 2049) stating that they refuse to have their own subconscious thoughts monitored regardless of who it benefits. Even with the government’s justification for instilling this technology in schools, there is concern about why all students must participate. In response, some radical groups have suggested reverting back to how things were in the early twenty-first century, when “freedom of speech meant something” (Nationalists of NA, 2047), to which critics responded that free speech should not come at the expense of other groups or identities, which is what Biascope aims to fix.

Others have called attention to the growing suspicion that this app is, whether intentionally or not, gearing people to behave and think in the same way. This is because individuals receive similar alerts for similar thoughts, which may unknowingly influence them to change their patterns of thinking altogether. There is, essentially, an ideal way the app assumes people should be thinking. Multiple parents have come forward with reports of growing similarities between their children’s distinct personalities, causing them to question whether the use of Biascope is necessary for so many youths at all times.

== Group Members ==
* Dorian Costa-Kuswanto
* Bronson Manbodh
* Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat-Brown
* Chaumeka Naveenakumar
* Claudia Szulc

== Citations ==

Austin, E. (2018, August 27). Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thegraidenetwork.com/blog-all/2018/8/1/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom

Berghoef, K. (n.d.). What Does Implicit Bias Really Mean? Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-implicit-bias-4165634

Budhia, S. (2020, July 29). Racial Prejudice in the American Education System: Effects of Racism on Black Students' Lives and Academic Success. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://openamericas.org/2017/12/27/racial-prejudice-in-the-american-education-system-effects-of-racism-on-black-students-lives-and-academic-success/

Maynard , R. (2017). Policing Black Lives. Fernwood Publishing, fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives.

Parekh, B. (2018). Learning Skills, System Equity, and Implicit Bias Within Ontario, Canada. Educational Policy (Los Altos, Calif.), 089590481881330–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303

World 3

2020-11-29T06:08:05Z

Chaumeka: /* Breaking Barriers of Education */

== Biascope ==

[[File:Logo.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Biascope's Logo]]

Biascope Corp. is a Canadian biotech company specializing in consumer goods such as wearable tech and smartphone applications, established in 2045 by Merridan Sironka. The app utilizes an algorithm and wearable technology, such as EEG earbuds and a smartwatch heart monitor, to detect brain wave activity and heart rate to measure bias. Sironka started developing this technology after constantly witnessing her parents being denied opportunities based on their backgrounds and perceived identities.

== The Blueprint for Biascope ==
=== Imagine... ===
Imagine a world in which car crashes could be prevented, school shootings could be eliminated, racism could significantly decline, and we’d feel better about ourselves and have greater capacities for self-respect and feelings of worth.

We envision a world in which humans are better able to regulate their emotional and physical wellbeing by the use of an app, downloadable to both smart devices and laptops. Similar to a smart watch, this app monitors heart rate, counts steps, etc. but is also equipped with an AI brain that allows it to detect our subconscious thoughts and emotions. It’ll be able to monitor our brain waves and activity and also pick up signals of developing thoughts of bias, hatred, anger, and the like.
=== Potential Preventions ===
But what about when we lose control? What about when we begin developing unhealthy, biased or racial ideas about others or groups? What about when we give into the pressures of fitting in and lose our senses of self-worth and dignity?

What if we could prevent this?

What if we each had an app with face-recognition that could warn us of incoming threats? Or that could read our facial expressions and help us develop more friendly demeanours? What if the app measured our brain activity and sent us notifications and empowerment texts when we were feeling down or more dangerously, attempting self-harm or suicide?

What if this app could sync with our cars and detect an oncoming vehicle and prevent an accident? Or prevent us from going over the speed limit? What if this app was connected to the Police and alerted the necessary individuals of local dangers or medical emergencies?
=== Outweighing the Potential Negatives ===
The dangers of such an app are obvious, such as its information getting in the hands of the wrong individual or group, or it taking away our freedom of choice to make a mistake and grow from there. But, what if it was designed in such a way that each user could program its settings to release certain information to only specific individuals (similar to how a doctor requires that his or her patients sign a medical release before consultation with a colleague or before sharing a medical chart). What if it gave people a greater sense of autonomy and kept the community, our schools, and our social venues safer?
=== Early Inspiration for Biascope ===

Biascope used a combination of existing technologies to develop its first prototypes, before producing and developing their first versions of the app, and first product lineup. Until Biascope, there were no apps or technology that could monitor underlying biases and give feedback in real time. The first algorithms developed for the app were based loosely on the algorithms used by Facebook, Google, and Amazon back in the 2020’s, and still used today.

While they didn’t have apps and devices to specifically monitor and log our biases, emotions and subconscious, social media and other apps would monitor our habits, location and other aspects of our lives.
So many times, we’d be talking about a certain product and within the same day, google or Facebook seem to know exactly what to advertise to us, either through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or even our search engine. Our “suggested” tabs would fill up with products we may have mentioned one or two times in passing. Maybe you spoke to your brother about bulking up? Whey protein, exercise bands, and weight sets seem to be in your “recommended products”, fitness pages, and models are in your explore tab on IG, and Goodlife and LA fitness banners are now littered across your Facebook page… and of course we all clicked. We all want to check out that “goal physique”. We’re curious, how much is that protein powder? What are the benefits? If you’ve liked, shared or saved any of these posts, you’re now telling the algorithm I’M INTERESTED! I WANT THAT! So now even if you were not thinking about this too heavily, it’ll be constantly marketed towards you.

Facebook still has the ability to track other websites you’re visiting even when you’re not using the app/website. Because Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp, it’s not far fetched to think that all of these apps are constantly monitoring the websites you’re visiting, conversations you’re having, and/or places that you’ve been. Google tracks you through services like google maps, weather updates, and browser searches, and can get an idea of places/ businesses you like to visit/frequent, topics and products you’re “googling”, videos of interest (YouTube) etc.

Wearable tech such as fitbits and smart watches were first designed to track your heartbeat, temperature and other vital signs. Front facing cameras can distinguish distinct human faces from one another. Fingerprint sensors can detect and store fingerprints, however there were no apps to translate this data into bias or emotional data.

Initially people were uncomfortable with the idea of being tracked and advertised to personally. Many people thought it to be an invasion of privacy, however safeguards such as location blockers and private modes would prevent sites and apps from tracking you to an extent. While some people were uneasy with these extremely personalized ads, others found them to be convenient, and enjoyed a more tailored ad experience. With Biascope, many people also had reservations and were concerned with privacy issues. People worried that their information would be tracked and stored for purposes such as marketing, and felt uncomfortable with a company having access to their feelings. Similar to Facebook and Google, these people have a choice to not use the technology, however, much like these established tech giants, Biotech is now deeply ingrained in our society and culture. Not using the app to preserve our privacy may cost us job opportunities, and create a social disconnect from our peers. Ironically, people may feel bias towards you for not constantly monitoring, and trying to improve your bias.

While the algorithms used in these websites and apps track your “buying bias”, and search history, it was hard for these algorithms to determine your bias towards race, age, gender, sexual orientation etc., and your emotions and subconscious. There were tests and quizzes to test for bias and general personality types, however these would take time, and required transparency and honesty from the user.

IBM released a program (OpenScale) to monitor their AI and machine learning for bias against protected attributes such as sex, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status etc. These bias monitors help to speed up configuration and ensure that AI models are being checked for fairness against sensitive attributes.

Today, Biascope has taken these algorithms, and combined them with wearable tech that monitors your brainwaves, to determine when you are experiencing negative thoughts and emotions. By using the app, we are better able to understand when we are feeling these negative thoughts, and therefore know when to reflect on why we are experiencing these thoughts. As a result, people have been able to recognize their biases more easily.

== Education ==
=== The Raging Waters of Adolescence ===
Adolescent years are some of the most personally challenging and traumatic years we’ll ever face in our lives. Our bodies experience biological and physiological changes, our emotions go through constant fluctuations, and our mental wellness is tried on a continuous basis because of our changing hormones. In addition to this, our psychological developmental task during these is to begin creating our own identity and breaking away from the ones our parents created for us. It’s a time during which we’re in between childhood and adulthood, and in which we can safely begin wading through the waters of adult responsibilities without totally being held accountable for them.

By and large, this self-identity relies heavily on our peer relationships - the groups we fit into (and hope to be included in), the ways others think of us, and the ways we perceive ourselves based on those of these influences. Adolescence is a time for us to also develop our senses of right and wrong and truth and falsehood. It’s during these years that we begin asking ourselves the “big” questions and thinking about the larger world around us and our place therein. We take risks - largely because our cognitive capacities for decision-making aren’t fully developed yet - and push the boundaries of what we once thought was possible. All this is good and healthy, and should be encouraged.

=== Breaking Barriers of Education ===

[[File: teacher student collaboration.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Collaborative, co-constructivist approach to learning in 2045 enabled with the help of Biascope ]]

Although Biascope was not in use within the education system in the beginning of its time, as other fields began to observe impressive positive outcomes, it became vital in Canada’s education system. Until the 2040s, some of the significant concerns of teacher-student relationships, assessments in school and overall student success were the implicit biases of educators. Research in the 2010s and 2020s shows that students from marginalized groups were continued to be streamed into more college-based courses rather than university education (Maynard, 2013) . Additionally, even the students from marginalized groups who overcame academic barriers were assessed poorly with regards to their “Learning Skills” compared to their peers primarily due to the implicit biases of educators. These biases had detrimental effects on the success of students who were marginalized because of their race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender and difference in ability. To address, alleviate and eventually eliminate these biases, Biascope was deemed necessary to be included in school, especially by professionals in education. A few years later it was also highly recommended to be used by students starting from grade 6.

[[File: Indigenous ways of knowing.png|350px|thumb|right|Biascope has helped educators in overcoming the criticisms of Indigenous Ways of Knowing by reducing subjective assessments in educators. This image is from ''Indigenous Ways of Knowing'' pedagogies from an Ontario elementary school online text when it was first introduces as a key component of the curriculum. It involves narrative-driven learning, visualised learning plans, hands-on/reflective techniques, use of symbols/metaphors, land-based learning, indirect/synergistic logic, modelled/scaffolded genre mastery, and connectedness to community ]]

Until the 2030s the education system relied heavily on standardized tests, where every subject in every grade and school will be assessed through “question and answer” test formats. However, now, with the support of Biascope's technology, the education system has moved towards fewer standardized testing and more collaborative tasks that asses a student’s progress. Some educators who teach subjects like "Mathematics through Art" and "Geographical Politics" have shifted away from what was originally considered to be standardized testing. Students are now far more self-aware and self-reliant since using this technology during has helped identify their own biases at an early stage of development. Most of the current research has shown that self awareness (especially of implicit biases) and self-reliance in education has resulted in young people becoming more empathetic as they grown into adulthood. Additionally, as a result of more self awareness and self inquiry the power dynamics that existed between teachers and students in the 2020s and 2030s is now disrupted. Through combining culturally responsive pedagogies and Indigenous ways of knowing, students and educators work together to co-construct multiple assessment methods that is focused on more meaningful learning unlike the past where “passing” the course was the primary objective for students. Thus, Biascope has facilitated a collaborative learning environment for teachers and learners where student input is a key component of today's education. With this shift of culture in education Biascope holds the promise of encouraging more independent, self reliant and empathetic generations in the future. Furthermore, with education being completely global now and what was considered "remote" learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is now known as just "learning". Students from all over the world have much fewer barriers to pursue education from different countries and cultures and with this expanse of globalization, new biases emerging is seen as inevitable according to the research article, ''"Analysing the Difference Between Escaping and Facing Implicit Biases"'' by Dan et al (2052). Therefore, Biascope has been instrumental in shedding light to newly forming biases by helping individuals overcome cultural barriers and motivating them to work on such barriers and maintain healthy relationships with one another.

=== Biascope's Press Release on Education ===
==== CEO Merridan Sironka's Thoughts on how Biascope has Revolutionized Education ====
June 5th, 2050 marks the 5th anniversary of the introduction of Biascope. Since that time, the app has revolutionized education. With over 20 million downloads worldwide, Biascope consistently ranks in the top ten downloaded apps annually.

Before the release of the Biascope app, the education system was riddled with unconscious bias that led to both subtle and blatant forms of racism, sexism and classism. Research showed that people of colour experienced racism in the education system starting from preschool. One study showed that Black children were suspended almost four times more than White children. Psychological tests showed that teachers often had unconscious, negative beliefs about people outside their own race, gender and economic background. Young boys were often targeted for more severe forms of punishment than their female counterparts. Black boys in particular, had the harshest punishments. Other studies showed that a teacher’s expectation that a child would succeed in their classroom, often led to this result. The opposite was also true, meaning when teachers expected certain students to do badly, they did. This expectation was often tied to gender, race and class, resulting in Caucasian students of middle class homes doing better than other groups. Although anti-bias education for students was introduced over 25 years ago, the results were not successful. While students understood the topic and successfully implemented it in classroom discussions, when examined further it was found that the results did not translate outside the classroom. [[File:TNewspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A retro newspaper clipping of bias issues within schools (2020)]] Similarly, with teachers, although they received extensive anti-bias training on a regular basis, when school populations were examined in studies, a bias in favour of Caucasian students was found to exist.

For this reason, the engineers behind the Biascope app used their knowledge of human nature to create an app that would be sensitive to all aspects of racial, gender, class and sex biases. Since its introduction there has been an 87% drop in racially motivated hate crimes in schools. Similarly, there has been a significant drop in bullying incidents of LGBTQ+ youth. Differences between the success rate of students living below the poverty line compared to those who identified as being part of the middle class has dropped to 14%. The number of suspensions of Black students over other groups has dropped by 93%. After downloading and using Biascope for one year, students reported a more positive view of the opposite sex and different races. 96% of teachers reported using the bias app both in and out of school settings. The majority ranked the app as more necessary to their everyday lives than any social media app. Biascope ranked higher than Facebook and Instagram in this year's Times Review of Social Media Apps. Biascope is happy to be releasing several new features that will be announced in next month’s Biascope Biannual Shareholders Conference.

=== Personal Testimonies ===
Several months after instilling Biascope into schools, a number of students and teachers were asked to provide their testimonies. Following are two notable transcripts that showcase the downfalls and benefits of this technology.

[[Diary of an anonymous 10th grade student:]]

"I’ve been using Biascope for about two or three months now, and I’m going to write a little about how it’s been. At first, it was good because it helped me feel better about myself and l was able to learn about all the ways I’ve been unfair or had bad thoughts without even realizing it. But then, I realized it was also stopping me from making mistakes that I could learn from on my own. Biascope didn’t let me do even the little things that might be problematic because it would warn me right away and I would know, okay, I can’t do that. I’m not saying it’s bad, since I know it’s doing a lot of good things for the world. I just wish it would let me be human without making every negative thought into a lesson."

[[Diary of an anonymous high school teacher:]]

"After installing Biascope, my job has become much more enjoyable and perhaps even easier! There are less problems between the students in school and I think everyone feels more included. It’s safer for sure. In the classroom, we’re able to have respectful discussions and I’m able to assess students based strictly on their learning. I’ve always worried that deep down, I would play favourites, but now I don’t worry about that at all. I can focus on doing what needs to get done and my old worries have been washed away."

== Implications on Society ==
Apart from being highly influential in education, Biascope has shown its promise and worth in law enforcement, the justice system, social lives and relationships.

=== Law ===
Law Enforcement:
Biascope was first implemented with the purpose to serve officers of Law Enforcement. This was anticipated to be highly useful by the Government of Canada to address the constant ill-treatment of marginalized persons, specifically Black folks by Law enforcement officers. With efforts to address the concerns brought about the awareness through Black Lives Matter in 2020, Biascope was expected to significantly identify implicit biases in Law enforcement officers. A report of their implicit biases was required to be submitted in a timely manner. Qualitative research done by Prez et al (2046) shows that the use of Biascope showed an immediate reduction in abuse of power specifically against marginalized groups. However a public survey released on March 5th, of 2048 shows that 30 % of the Ontario community feel that this change in bias reduction reflects ineffective change. Similar views were expressed by a Toronto Police officer in an interview on CTV. They will remain anonymous for private and confidential reasons. Their interview is below:

'''Reporter:''' How do you think that the app Biascope has helped your profession?

'''Officer :''' I have heard some of my colleagues appreciating Biascope nd finding it very useful to make decisions in a profession like ours, but others like myself have also expressed a discomfort level with using the app.

'''Reporter:''' Can you talk about some of the factors that cause this discomfort?

'''Officer:''' Of course, first of all some of us feel that solely relying on this Biascope is not sustainable for managing crime in Toronto because we are forgetting to address conscious problematic racist and discriminatory biases. With the app, the assumption is that none of us have conscious discrimination within us and that we left it all in the 2020s and 2030s which is not a realistic belief. I think this app just enables problematic beliefs to be hidden.

'''Reporter:''' The Biascope team have continuously mentioned in their disclaimer statement and interviews that the app is merely a tool to be aware of self-biases and to supplement one's own learning and unlearning with Biascope's aid. By no means do they say that people should completely rely on Biascope . Do you agree?

'''Officer:''' Yes that may or may not have been their intention but I can only speak from my perspective and trust me, in this profession I have noticed that people still carry conscious biases. So how can you address implicit biases without addressing these conscious ones. I respect Biascope's disclaimer statement, however, practically people are gravitating towards completely reliance on the app and recently there have been petitions to charge police officers who have shown more than 10 bias points a day. I mean this is ridiculous.

'''Reporter:''' Yes, I did hear about that. It is concerning especially since the app was meant to be for personal use to bring awareness to the individual.

'''Officer:''' Exactly, and if a person does not intend to learn and unlearn and actively seek to change their views, Biascope might not change much. In fact, it will only further create a mob mentality in people where change is not fully internal.

'''Reporter:''' Thank you for sharing your perspective officer. We will be back with more on this topic once Biascope gets back to us, hopefully soon.

=== Marketing Projections ===
Biascope was developed in 2045 using a combination of technologies to reach and uncover the deepest part of the human psyche – the subconscious. It was introduced to assist the court system, which for decades has been criticized as unfair and outdated. Indeed, it has worked to free thousands of accused criminals who were wrongly imprisoned due to jury decisions and flawed loopholes. On the other hand, it also brought justice to those who were able to walk freely due to their power and status within society. The results were promising; an honest population and a step towards a perfect world. The problems that once plagued humanity suddenly had a clear solution.

Over the next few years, Biascope was licensed and distributed for personal use. It was not mandatory then, yet by 2048 the federal government made the weighty decision to implement this technology into schools. Their reasoning was simple: morally correct students will shape the future into one with less division and more content. Within the studies that were conducted, researchers found that Biascope genuinely makes people into better human beings. They have noted that constantly being reminded of personal bias as well as respectful thoughts encourages individuals to work towards change. While it is too early to tell, there have been speculations that the moderate number of personal users outside of schools have already decreased the amount of conflict that goes on in public places.
=== Resistance to Biascope ===
[[File:AgainstSurveillance.jpeg|270px|thumb|left|Protestors fighting for their right to privacy]] Since the public initiation of Biascope, there has been scepticism of and even full rebellion against this technology. Several groups have publicly declared it an “invasion of privacy,” (Citizens Against Surveillance, 2049) stating that they refuse to have their own subconscious thoughts monitored regardless of who it benefits. Even with the government’s justification for instilling this technology in schools, there is concern about why all students must participate. In response, some radical groups have suggested reverting back to how things were in the early twenty-first century, when “freedom of speech meant something” (Nationalists of NA, 2047), to which critics responded that free speech should not come at the expense of other groups or identities, which is what Biascope aims to fix.

Others have called attention to the growing suspicion that this app is, whether intentionally or not, gearing people to behave and think in the same way. This is because individuals receive similar alerts for similar thoughts, which may unknowingly influence them to change their patterns of thinking altogether. There is, essentially, an ideal way the app assumes people should be thinking. Multiple parents have come forward with reports of growing similarities between their children’s distinct personalities, causing them to question whether the use of Biascope is necessary for so many youths at all times.

== Group Members ==
* Dorian Costa-Kuswanto
* Bronson Manbodh
* Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat-Brown
* Chaumeka Naveenakumar
* Claudia Szulc

== Citations ==

Austin, E. (2018, August 27). Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thegraidenetwork.com/blog-all/2018/8/1/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom

Berghoef, K. (n.d.). What Does Implicit Bias Really Mean? Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-implicit-bias-4165634

Budhia, S. (2020, July 29). Racial Prejudice in the American Education System: Effects of Racism on Black Students' Lives and Academic Success. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://openamericas.org/2017/12/27/racial-prejudice-in-the-american-education-system-effects-of-racism-on-black-students-lives-and-academic-success/

Maynard , R. (2017). Policing Black Lives. Fernwood Publishing, fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives.

Parekh, B. (2018). Learning Skills, System Equity, and Implicit Bias Within Ontario, Canada. Educational Policy (Los Altos, Calif.), 089590481881330–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303

2020-11-29T05:44:49Z

Chaumeka:

== Biascope ==

[[File:Logo.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Biascope's Logo]]

Biascope Corp. is a Canadian biotech company specializing in consumer goods such as wearable tech and smartphone applications, established in 2045 by Merridan Sironka. The app utilizes an algorithm and wearable technology, such as EEG earbuds and a smartwatch heart monitor, to detect brain wave activity and heart rate to measure bias. Sironka started developing this technology after constantly witnessing her parents being denied opportunities based on their backgrounds and perceived identities.

== The Blueprint for Biascope ==
=== Imagine... ===
Imagine a world in which car crashes could be prevented, school shootings could be eliminated, racism could significantly decline, and we’d feel better about ourselves and have greater capacities for self-respect and feelings of worth.

We envision a world in which humans are better able to regulate their emotional and physical wellbeing by the use of an app, downloadable to both smart devices and laptops. Similar to a smart watch, this app monitors heart rate, counts steps, etc. but is also equipped with an AI brain that allows it to detect our subconscious thoughts and emotions. It’ll be able to monitor our brain waves and activity and also pick up signals of developing thoughts of bias, hatred, anger, and the like.
=== Potential Preventions ===
But what about when we lose control? What about when we begin developing unhealthy, biased or racial ideas about others or groups? What about when we give into the pressures of fitting in and lose our senses of self-worth and dignity?

What if we could prevent this?

What if we each had an app with face-recognition that could warn us of incoming threats? Or that could read our facial expressions and help us develop more friendly demeanours? What if the app measured our brain activity and sent us notifications and empowerment texts when we were feeling down or more dangerously, attempting self-harm or suicide?

What if this app could sync with our cars and detect an oncoming vehicle and prevent an accident? Or prevent us from going over the speed limit? What if this app was connected to the Police and alerted the necessary individuals of local dangers or medical emergencies?
=== Outweighing the Potential Negatives ===
The dangers of such an app are obvious, such as its information getting in the hands of the wrong individual or group, or it taking away our freedom of choice to make a mistake and grow from there. But, what if it was designed in such a way that each user could program its settings to release certain information to only specific individuals (similar to how a doctor requires that his or her patients sign a medical release before consultation with a colleague or before sharing a medical chart). What if it gave people a greater sense of autonomy and kept the community, our schools, and our social venues safer?
=== Early Inspiration for Biascope ===

Biascope used a combination of existing technologies to develop its first prototypes, before producing and developing their first versions of the app, and first product lineup. Until Biascope, there were no apps or technology that could monitor underlying biases and give feedback in real time. The first algorithms developed for the app were based loosely on the algorithms used by Facebook, Google, and Amazon back in the 2020’s, and still used today.

While they didn’t have apps and devices to specifically monitor and log our biases, emotions and subconscious, social media and other apps would monitor our habits, location and other aspects of our lives.
So many times, we’d be talking about a certain product and within the same day, google or Facebook seem to know exactly what to advertise to us, either through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or even our search engine. Our “suggested” tabs would fill up with products we may have mentioned one or two times in passing. Maybe you spoke to your brother about bulking up? Whey protein, exercise bands, and weight sets seem to be in your “recommended products”, fitness pages, and models are in your explore tab on IG, and Goodlife and LA fitness banners are now littered across your Facebook page… and of course we all clicked. We all want to check out that “goal physique”. We’re curious, how much is that protein powder? What are the benefits? If you’ve liked, shared or saved any of these posts, you’re now telling the algorithm I’M INTERESTED! I WANT THAT! So now even if you were not thinking about this too heavily, it’ll be constantly marketed towards you.

Facebook still has the ability to track other websites you’re visiting even when you’re not using the app/website. Because Facebook owns Instagram and WhatsApp, it’s not far fetched to think that all of these apps are constantly monitoring the websites you’re visiting, conversations you’re having, and/or places that you’ve been. Google tracks you through services like google maps, weather updates, and browser searches, and can get an idea of places/ businesses you like to visit/frequent, topics and products you’re “googling”, videos of interest (YouTube) etc.

Wearable tech such as fitbits and smart watches were first designed to track your heartbeat, temperature and other vital signs. Front facing cameras can distinguish distinct human faces from one another. Fingerprint sensors can detect and store fingerprints, however there were no apps to translate this data into bias or emotional data.

Initially people were uncomfortable with the idea of being tracked and advertised to personally. Many people thought it to be an invasion of privacy, however safeguards such as location blockers and private modes would prevent sites and apps from tracking you to an extent. While some people were uneasy with these extremely personalized ads, others found them to be convenient, and enjoyed a more tailored ad experience. With Biascope, many people also had reservations and were concerned with privacy issues. People worried that their information would be tracked and stored for purposes such as marketing, and felt uncomfortable with a company having access to their feelings. Similar to Facebook and Google, these people have a choice to not use the technology, however, much like these established tech giants, Biotech is now deeply ingrained in our society and culture. Not using the app to preserve our privacy may cost us job opportunities, and create a social disconnect from our peers. Ironically, people may feel bias towards you for not constantly monitoring, and trying to improve your bias.

While the algorithms used in these websites and apps track your “buying bias”, and search history, it was hard for these algorithms to determine your bias towards race, age, gender, sexual orientation etc., and your emotions and subconscious. There were tests and quizzes to test for bias and general personality types, however these would take time, and required transparency and honesty from the user.

IBM released a program (OpenScale) to monitor their AI and machine learning for bias against protected attributes such as sex, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status etc. These bias monitors help to speed up configuration and ensure that AI models are being checked for fairness against sensitive attributes.

Today, Biascope has taken these algorithms, and combined them with wearable tech that monitors your brainwaves, to determine when you are experiencing negative thoughts and emotions. By using the app, we are better able to understand when we are feeling these negative thoughts, and therefore know when to reflect on why we are experiencing these thoughts. As a result, people have been able to recognize their biases more easily.

== Education ==
=== The Raging Waters of Adolescence ===
Adolescent years are some of the most personally challenging and traumatic years we’ll ever face in our lives. Our bodies experience biological and physiological changes, our emotions go through constant fluctuations, and our mental wellness is tried on a continuous basis because of our changing hormones. In addition to this, our psychological developmental task during these is to begin creating our own identity and breaking away from the ones our parents created for us. It’s a time during which we’re in between childhood and adulthood, and in which we can safely begin wading through the waters of adult responsibilities without totally being held accountable for them.

By and large, this self-identity relies heavily on our peer relationships - the groups we fit into (and hope to be included in), the ways others think of us, and the ways we perceive ourselves based on those of these influences. Adolescence is a time for us to also develop our senses of right and wrong and truth and falsehood. It’s during these years that we begin asking ourselves the “big” questions and thinking about the larger world around us and our place therein. We take risks - largely because our cognitive capacities for decision-making aren’t fully developed yet - and push the boundaries of what we once thought was possible. All this is good and healthy, and should be encouraged.

=== Breaking Barriers of Education ===

[[File: teacher student collaboration.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Collaborative, co-constructivist approach to learning in 2045]]

Although Biascope was not in use within the education system in the beginning of its time, as other fields began to observe impressive positive outcomes, it became vital in Canada’s education system. Until the 2040s, some of the significant concerns of teacher-student relationships, assessments in school and overall student success were the implicit biases of educators. Research in the 2010s and 2020s shows that students from marginalized groups were continued to be streamed into more college-based courses rather than university education (Maynard, 2013) . Additionally, even the students from marginalized groups who overcame academic barriers were assessed poorly with regards to their “Learning Skills” compared to their peers primarily due to the implicit biases of educators. These biases had detrimental effects on the success of students who were marginalized because of their race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender and difference in ability. To address, alleviate and eventually eliminate these biases, Biascope was deemed necessary to be included in school, especially by professionals in education. A few years later it was also highly recommended to be used by students starting from grade 6.

Until the 2030s the education system relied heavily on standardized tests, where every subject in every grade and school will be assessed through “question and answer” test formats. However, now, with the support of Biascope's technology, the education system has moved towards fewer standardized testing and more collaborative tasks that asses a student’s progress. Some educators who teach subjects like "Mathematics through Art" and "Geographical Politics" have shifted away from what was originally considered to be standardized testing. Students are now far more self-aware and self-reliant since using this technology during has helped identify their own biases at an early stage. Most of the current research has shown that self awareness (especially of implicit biases) and self-reliance in education has resulted in young people becoming more empathetic as they grown into adulthood. Additionally, as a result of more self awareness and self inquiry the power dynamics that existed between teachers and students in the 2020s and 2030s is now disrupted. Through combining culturally responsive pedagogies and Indigenous ways of knowing, students and educators work together to co-construct multiple assessment methods that is focused on more meaningful learning unlike the past where “passing” the course was the primary objective for students. Thus, Biascope has facilitated a collaborative learning environment for teachers and learners where student input is a key component of today's education. With this shift of culture in education Biascope holds the promise of encouraging more independent, self reliant and empathetic generations in the future. Furthermore, with education being completely global now and what was considered "remote" learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is now known as just "learning". Students from all over the world have much fewer barriers to pursue education from different countries and cultures and with this expanse of globalization, new biases emerging is seen as inevitable according to the research article, ''"Analysing the Difference Between Escaping and Facing Implicit Biases"'' by Dan et al (2052). Therefore, Biascope has been instrumental in shedding light to newly forming biases by helping individuals overcome cultural barriers and motivating them to work on such barriers and maintain positive relationships with one another.

=== Biascope's Press Release on Education ===
==== CEO Merridan Sironka's Thoughts on how Biascope has Revolutionized Education ====
June 5th, 2050 marks the 5th anniversary of the introduction of Biascope. Since that time, the app has revolutionized education. With over 20 million downloads worldwide, Biascope consistently ranks in the top ten downloaded apps annually.

Before the release of the Biascope app, the education system was riddled with unconscious bias that led to both subtle and blatant forms of racism, sexism and classism. Research showed that people of colour experienced racism in the education system starting from preschool. One study showed that Black children were suspended almost four times more than White children. Psychological tests showed that teachers often had unconscious, negative beliefs about people outside their own race, gender and economic background. Young boys were often targeted for more severe forms of punishment than their female counterparts. Black boys in particular, had the harshest punishments. Other studies showed that a teacher’s expectation that a child would succeed in their classroom, often led to this result. The opposite was also true, meaning when teachers expected certain students to do badly, they did. This expectation was often tied to gender, race and class, resulting in Caucasian students of middle class homes doing better than other groups. Although anti-bias education for students was introduced over 25 years ago, the results were not successful. While students understood the topic and successfully implemented it in classroom discussions, when examined further it was found that the results did not translate outside the classroom. [[File:TNewspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A retro newspaper clipping of bias issues within schools (2020)]] Similarly, with teachers, although they received extensive anti-bias training on a regular basis, when school populations were examined in studies, a bias in favour of Caucasian students was found to exist.

For this reason, the engineers behind the Biascope app used their knowledge of human nature to create an app that would be sensitive to all aspects of racial, gender, class and sex biases. Since its introduction there has been an 87% drop in racially motivated hate crimes in schools. Similarly, there has been a significant drop in bullying incidents of LGBTQ+ youth. Differences between the success rate of students living below the poverty line compared to those who identified as being part of the middle class has dropped to 14%. The number of suspensions of Black students over other groups has dropped by 93%. After downloading and using Biascope for one year, students reported a more positive view of the opposite sex and different races. 96% of teachers reported using the bias app both in and out of school settings. The majority ranked the app as more necessary to their everyday lives than any social media app. Biascope ranked higher than Facebook and Instagram in this year's Times Review of Social Media Apps. Biascope is happy to be releasing several new features that will be announced in next month’s Biascope Biannual Shareholders Conference.

=== Personal Testimonies ===
Several months after instilling Biascope into schools, a number of students and teachers were asked to provide their testimonies. Following are two notable transcripts that showcase the downfalls and benefits of this technology.

[[Diary of an anonymous 10th grade student:]]

"I’ve been using Biascope for about two or three months now, and I’m going to write a little about how it’s been. At first, it was good because it helped me feel better about myself and l was able to learn about all the ways I’ve been unfair or had bad thoughts without even realizing it. But then, I realized it was also stopping me from making mistakes that I could learn from on my own. Biascope didn’t let me do even the little things that might be problematic because it would warn me right away and I would know, okay, I can’t do that. I’m not saying it’s bad, since I know it’s doing a lot of good things for the world. I just wish it would let me be human without making every negative thought into a lesson."

[[Diary of an anonymous high school teacher:]]

"After installing Biascope, my job has become much more enjoyable and perhaps even easier! There are less problems between the students in school and I think everyone feels more included. It’s safer for sure. In the classroom, we’re able to have respectful discussions and I’m able to assess students based strictly on their learning. I’ve always worried that deep down, I would play favourites, but now I don’t worry about that at all. I can focus on doing what needs to get done and my old worries have been washed away."

== Implications on Society ==
Apart from being highly influential in education, Biascope has shown its promise and worth in law enforcement, the justice system, social lives and relationships.

=== Law ===
Law Enforcement:
Biascope was first implemented with the purpose to serve officers of Law Enforcement. This was anticipated to be highly useful by the Government of Canada to address the constant ill-treatment of marginalized persons, specifically Black folks by Law enforcement officers. With efforts to address the concerns brought about the awareness through Black Lives Matter in 2020, Biascope was expected to significantly identify implicit biases in Law enforcement officers. A report of their implicit biases was required to be submitted in a timely manner. Qualitative research done by Prez et al (2046) shows that the use of Biascope showed an immediate reduction in abuse of power specifically against marginalized groups. However a public survey released on March 5th, of 2048 shows that 30 % of the Ontario community feel that this change in bias reduction reflects ineffective change. Similar views were expressed by a Toronto Police officer in an interview on CTV. They will remain anonymous for private and confidential reasons. Their interview is below:

'''Reporter:''' How do you think that the app Biascope has helped your profession?

'''Officer :''' I have heard some of my colleagues appreciating Biascope nd finding it very useful to make decisions in a profession like ours, but others like myself have also expressed a discomfort level with using the app.

'''Reporter:''' Can you talk about some of the factors that cause this discomfort?

'''Officer:''' Of course, first of all some of us feel that solely relying on this Biascope is not sustainable for managing crime in Toronto because we are forgetting to address conscious problematic racist and discriminatory biases. With the app, the assumption is that none of us have conscious discrimination within us and that we left it all in the 2020s and 2030s which is not a realistic belief. I think this app just enables problematic beliefs to be hidden.

'''Reporter:''' The Biascope team have continuously mentioned in their disclaimer statement and interviews that the app is merely a tool to be aware of self-biases and to supplement one's own learning and unlearning with Biascope's aid. By no means do they say that people should completely rely on Biascope . Do you agree?

'''Officer:''' Yes that may or may not have been their intention but I can only speak from my perspective and trust me, in this profession I have noticed that people still carry conscious biases. So how can you address implicit biases without addressing these conscious ones. I respect Biascope's disclaimer statement, however, practically people are gravitating towards completely reliance on the app and recently there have been petitions to charge police officers who have shown more than 10 bias points a day. I mean this is ridiculous.

'''Reporter:''' Yes, I did hear about that. It is concerning especially since the app was meant to be for personal use to bring awareness to the individual.

'''Officer:''' Exactly, and if a person does not intend to learn and unlearn and actively seek to change their views, Biascope might not change much. In fact, it will only further create a mob mentality in people where change is not fully internal.

'''Reporter:''' Thank you for sharing your perspective officer. We will be back with more on this topic once Biascope gets back to us, hopefully soon.

=== Marketing Projections ===
Biascope was developed in 2045 using a combination of technologies to reach and uncover the deepest part of the human psyche – the subconscious. It was introduced to assist the court system, which for decades has been criticized as unfair and outdated. Indeed, it has worked to free thousands of accused criminals who were wrongly imprisoned due to jury decisions and flawed loopholes. On the other hand, it also brought justice to those who were able to walk freely due to their power and status within society. The results were promising; an honest population and a step towards a perfect world. The problems that once plagued humanity suddenly had a clear solution.

Over the next few years, Biascope was licensed and distributed for personal use. It was not mandatory then, yet by 2048 the federal government made the weighty decision to implement this technology into schools. Their reasoning was simple: morally correct students will shape the future into one with less division and more content. Within the studies that were conducted, researchers found that Biascope genuinely makes people into better human beings. They have noted that constantly being reminded of personal bias as well as respectful thoughts encourages individuals to work towards change. While it is too early to tell, there have been speculations that the moderate number of personal users outside of schools have already decreased the amount of conflict that goes on in public places.
=== Resistance to Biascope ===
[[File:AgainstSurveillance.jpeg|270px|thumb|left|Protestors fighting for their right to privacy]] Since the public initiation of Biascope, there has been scepticism of and even full rebellion against this technology. Several groups have publicly declared it an “invasion of privacy,” (Citizens Against Surveillance, 2049) stating that they refuse to have their own subconscious thoughts monitored regardless of who it benefits. Even with the government’s justification for instilling this technology in schools, there is concern about why all students must participate. In response, some radical groups have suggested reverting back to how things were in the early twenty-first century, when “freedom of speech meant something” (Nationalists of NA, 2047), to which critics responded that free speech should not come at the expense of other groups or identities, which is what Biascope aims to fix.

Others have called attention to the growing suspicion that this app is, whether intentionally or not, gearing people to behave and think in the same way. This is because individuals receive similar alerts for similar thoughts, which may unknowingly influence them to change their patterns of thinking altogether. There is, essentially, an ideal way the app assumes people should be thinking. Multiple parents have come forward with reports of growing similarities between their children’s distinct personalities, causing them to question whether the use of Biascope is necessary for so many youths at all times.

== Group Members ==
* Dorian Costa-Kuswanto
* Bronson Manbodh
* Jonah Simcha Chaim Muskat-Brown
* Chaumeka Naveenakumar
* Claudia Szulc

== Citations ==

Austin, E. (2018, August 27). Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thegraidenetwork.com/blog-all/2018/8/1/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom

Berghoef, K. (n.d.). What Does Implicit Bias Really Mean? Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-implicit-bias-4165634

Budhia, S. (2020, July 29). Racial Prejudice in the American Education System: Effects of Racism on Black Students' Lives and Academic Success. Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://openamericas.org/2017/12/27/racial-prejudice-in-the-american-education-system-effects-of-racism-on-black-students-lives-and-academic-success/

Maynard , R. (2017). Policing Black Lives. Fernwood Publishing, fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/policing-black-lives.

Parekh, B. (2018). Learning Skills, System Equity, and Implicit Bias Within Ontario, Canada. Educational Policy (Los Altos, Calif.), 089590481881330–. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303

2020-11-26T16:48:55Z

Chaumeka: /* Breaking Barriers of Education */