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Reposted by Upturn

logan koepke @jlkoepke.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

🧵 How do companies in highly regulated domains actually test their AI systems for and mitigate discrimination? Our new @upturn.org paper at @facct.bsky.social w/ Emily Black, @mbogen.bsky.social, @s010n.bsky.social, and @wesleydeng.bsky.social, tries to answer this question: arxiv.org/abs/2606.02957

The Fair Lending Model: How the Longest-Running Algorithmic
Fairness Programs Work in Practice
EMILY BLACK∗, New York University, USA
MIRANDA BOGEN∗, Center for Democracy & Technology, USA
LOGAN KOEPKE∗, Upturn, USA
SOLON BAROCAS, Microsoft Research, USA
WESLEY DENG, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
MINGWEI HSU, Upturn, USA
U.S. financial institutions subject to fair lending laws have been running algorithmic fairness programs for decades. Despite
this long history, remarkably little is known about how these requirements operate in practice. In this paper, we offer the first
empirical account of how financial institutions test for and mitigate algorithmic discrimination on the ground. In doing so, we
shed light on how the regulatory design of fair lending law and regulation have shaped the policies, processes, and practices
of fair lending programs. Drawing on 35 semi-structured interviews with participants across the fair lending ecosystem, we
find that while financial institutions have a floor of fairness practices aimed at preventing discrimination in lending largely
absent in other domains, the specifics of how firms test for discrimination and search for less discriminatory algorithms varies
widely. We also find that regulatory supervision via fair lending examinations has been the key driver of compliance work, but
that the practical impact of fair lending programs often depends on how well they can navigate competing business incentives,
perceived legal tensions, and regulatory uncertainty. Ultimately, our findings highlight the unique role that supervisory
authority has played in successfully fostering fair lending practices—a regulatory design feature that is distinct from other
areas of civil rights law and almost completely absent from recent policy proposals for dealing with algorithmic discrimination.
CCS Concepts: • Social and professional topics → Computing / technology policy

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Upturn @upturn.org · 17/04/2026

We are pleased to announce that Tina M. Park has been selected as Upturn’s next Executive Director. Tina’s combination of research depth and movement orientation will make her an outstanding Executive Director for our next chapter. Join us in welcoming Tina to Upturn! www.upturn.org/executive-di...

upturn.org

Upturn Welcomes Tina M. Park as Executive Director

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Reposted by Upturn

TechTonic Justice @techtonicjustice.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

⚠️New from our Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub (BTAH) partners at @upturn.org: Calculated Need, exposes how states are outsourcing critical Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) to opaque, profit-driven algorithms. Read it here: www.upturn.org/work/calcula...

upturn.org

Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

8/ We hope our report can support the important harm reduction work advocates are already doing in fighting automated determinations. We also believe in building towards the bigger fight for a system of universal care, which is the only way everyone can get the care they need.

upturn.org

Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

7/ Based on our work with advocates, we developed an "advocacy tools" section of our report to help those seeking to access, analyze, and understand the algorithms used in their state, and to ask broader political questions in relation to these tools.

upturn.org

Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

6/ In Missouri, the only state in our report that publicly released its eligibility algorithm, we worked with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri to assess an earlier version of the algorithm back in 2019, which led to important fixes that reduced the algorithm’s harms. www.btah.org/case-study/m...

btah.org

Missouri Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Eligibility Issues

The Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub brings together legal and technical expertise to fight for access to public benefits and to make sure technology does not limit that access.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

5/ Separately, when DC redesigned its eligibility process, the DC agency cited the constraints of its vendor's assessment tools as a way to dismiss advocates’ concerns about new eligibility rules, showing how the influence of vendors can undercut due process. www.upturn.org/work/calcula...

An outline of the District of Columbia labeled "State: DC Council; Department of Health Care Finance" and "Vendors: interRAI; FEI Systems."

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

4/ Meeting minutes from Nebraska, obtained through public records, pull back the curtain on how the state agency and vendors jointly designed its home care eligibility algorithm. The minutes even stated that “the idea of… eligibility being clear cut is a myth.” www.upturn.org/work/calcula...

An outline of the state of Nebraska labeled "State: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services" and "Vendors: Optumas; interRAI."

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

3/ There’s no escaping the fact that these automated Medicaid eligibility determinations are arbitrary and subjective: based on our analysis, someone who is eligible for home care in Mississippi and Nebraska could be *ineligible* in Missouri, New Jersey, and DC.

upturn.org

Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

2/ Our report offers an in-depth analysis of five states’ eligibility algorithms, case studies on how states work with vendors to develop their algorithms, and historical research on the emergence of the federally mandated eligibility standard for Medicaid home care.

upturn.org

Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 21/10/2025

1/ NEW: Read our new report, “Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care.” We show how automated eligibility determinations are political tools that draw a subjective line between who is deserving and undeserving of getting care in their home. www.upturn.org/work/calcula...

Cover of Upturn's new report titled "Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care. A Comparison of Five States' Eligibility Algorithms." The authors are Miriam Osman, Emily Paul, and Emma Weil. Published in October 2025.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 08/10/2025

The search for Upturn’s next Executive Director starts today! We're seeking candidates with 10+ years of experience and a commitment to advancing equity & justice, who can guide Upturn’s long-term political vision and continue to grow the institution. Apply by Nov 24: www.upturn.org/join/executi...

upturn.org

Upturn Seeks an Executive Director

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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Upturn @upturn.org · 08/10/2025

Our longtime Executive Director @harlanyu.bsky.social announced today his plans to depart Upturn in 2026. Over 15 years, we’ve built a strong, principled & impactful organization fighting for racial, economic & social justice through a tech lens. We’re excited for Harlan and will miss him dearly!

upturn.org

Upturn Announces Executive Director Transition

After nearly 15 years of leading Upturn, Harlan Yu plans to step down from his role as Executive Director in June 2026.

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Reposted by Upturn

logan koepke @jlkoepke.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

@upturn.org is hiring a Director of Operations! This position is ideal for a senior leader with experience managing the full suite of functions necessary to support the operations and infrastructure of a nonprofit organization. Applications due 2/28/25. www.upturn.org/join/directo...

upturn.org

Upturn Seeks a Director of Operations

Upturn advances equity and justice in the design, governance, and use of technology.

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