For Heads-of · Practitioner
Proxy discrimination via correlated features
A model achieves discriminatory outcomes indirectly, through features that correlate with a protected characteristic even when that characteristic is excluded from the input.
- high
- fairness
- bias
- proxy-discrimination
How it happens
A protected characteristic is deliberately excluded from a model's input, but other features, postcode, purchase history, device type, correlate strongly enough with it that the model reproduces the same discriminatory pattern indirectly.
Why it matters
Removing the protected characteristic from the input feels like a fix but often isn't one; it can even make the discrimination harder to detect because the obvious check, does the model use this field, now returns no.
Mitigating controls
The controls that address this risk, ranked by effectiveness.
Framework and clause references
| Framework | Clause | Title |
|---|---|---|
| NIST Generative AI Profile (NIST AI 600-1) | Harmful Bias | Harmful Bias or Homogenization |
| UK General Data Protection Regulation | Article 5 | Principles relating to processing of personal data |
Related resources
The external sources behind this risk, from the Resources library.