Recently the topic of brand response was discussed here, after I received no recognition during a social media outburst when my computer crashed. As a matter of fact, the brand in question was Hewlett Packard. So this article is close to my heart.

I came across this video on YouTube (ironically uploaded using HP Media Smart technology) which shows a black man proclaiming that HP computers are racist because their facial recognition software included with their webcam only recognizes light skinned faces. His “blackness” is not being tracked.

And the saddest part is he  just purchased one for his wife for Christmas and now he realizes it’s useless to him. He has entered a plea on YouTube for Hewlett Packard employees to respond to him. The video currently has nearly 70,000 views, and one would hope that at least one employee of HP will have the decency to respond, before this video goes viral and halts all purchases of HP computers by African-American consumers.

This one is going to be interesting to watch as HP’s social media approach and brand response  is once again being tested.

UPDATE: HP responds with a message on their website:

It’s no secret that I feel privileged to work with one of the largest and most innovative teams in the technology industry. On any given day, I might collaborate with HP employees in regions ranging from Japan to India and Latin America to Europe.

Everything we do is focused on ensuring that we provide a high-quality experience for all our customers, who are ethnically diverse and live and work around the world. That’s why when issues surface, we take them seriously and work hard to understand the root causes.

Some of you may have seen or heard of a YouTube video in which the facial-tracking software didn’t work for a customer. We thank Desi, and the people who have seen and commented on his video, for bringing this subject to our attention.

We are working with our partners to learn more. The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty “seeing” contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting. While we work on this, take a look here for more information on the impact of lighting on facial tracking software, and how to optimize your webcam experience: http://bit.ly/7HsZHD

We will continue to listen to you and work to deliver great experiences. We invite you to connect with us on the discussion boards and forums here on The Next Bench or on Twitter at @HP_PC.

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