Coded Bias

Coded Bias, in Australia on Hoopla, and in the US on Kanopy and Hoopla, earns the access it was given and does something with it. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 64 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Rigorous in a way documentary storytelling does not always commit to. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Hoopla.

Coded Bias arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. What makes Coded Bias work is a willingness to sit with complexity instead of resolving it neatly. Exploring the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini's startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. To govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. Joy Buolamwini and Cathy O'Neil give the storytelling a level of trust that shows. It hit screens in 2020. What elevates Coded Bias above most documentary work is a refusal to settle for the easy version of the story. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Coded Bias is the kind of documentary you immediately want to recommend to someone else. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Joy Buolamwini's involvement signals a level of access and cooperation that is hard to secure. The kind of documentary that makes you feel informed rather than manipulated.

Coded Bias was released in 2020, directed by Shalini Kantayya. The full 86-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.