University lobbies for retraction of unethical AI study

ABC News 18 September 2021

An Australian university implicated in unethical research using facial recognition technology to identify Uyghur and Tibetan minorities has unsuccessfully lobbied for it to be retracted by publishers on multiple attempts, writes Henry Belot for ABC News.

An internal review of research by Associate Professor Wan-Quan Liu – who has since resigned and now works at a university in China – found that he breached several ethical codes including a failure to obtain informed consent and approval.

The study, first reported by Four Corners in 2019, was partly funded by the Chinese government and was criticised by human rights campaigners who were worried it could be misused by authorities to persecute Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The paper remains online despite Curtin University’s deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Chris Moran, repeatedly urging publisher Wiley for it to be retracted, and any reference to the university immediately removed.
Full report on the ABC site

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