In this powerful episode of For the Love of History, host TC is joined by scholar and author Dr. Anita Say Chan to explore the unsettling historical roots of modern data science and artificial intelligence. Drawing from her groundbreaking book Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future, Anita uncovers how today's predictive algorithms trace back to 19th-century eugenics. Yes, really. Statistical regression—the backbone of online recommendation engines—was developed by a eugenicist. And that’s just the beginning.

We unpack how algorithmic bias, data colonialism, and techno-eugenics operate in today’s platforms—from Facebook’s role in global violence to the AI industry’s resistance to regulation. If you’re curious about the intersections of technology, race, gender, and power, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

📌 Key Topics Covered:

The hidden eugenic origins of data science and regression analysis

How algorithms are modern tools of social control

The racist, classist history of “fitness” in academic institutions

What “techno-eugenics” looks like today—from content moderation failures to AI bias

Case studies: Facebook’s role in violence in India and Myanmar

Why Big Tech underinvests in safety protocols outside the West

How tech elites bypass democratic institutions for unchecked influence

📚 About Our Guest:
Dr. Anita Say Chan is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and founder of the Community Data Clinic. Her research focuses on feminist, decolonial approaches to tech and global information justice.

📖 Featured Book:
Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future by Anita Say Chan

📍 Timestamps (For Better UX + SEO):

00:01 — Meet Dr. Anita Say Chan

04:00 — Eugenics and the invention of data prediction

10:15 — U.S. universities and the rise of eugenic policy

17:45 — Techno-eugenics: What it means today

24:30 — Case study: Facebook in India and Myanmar

30:00 — Tech elites, lobbying, and the erosion of democracy

35:00 — The fight for global data justice

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