The Representation of Skin Tones in Google Images of Skin Cancers

Abstract

algorithm bias. Each reviewer assessed the first 100 images for the following searches: "Skin Cancer" (SC), "Melanoma" , "Squamous Cell Carcinoma" (SCC), and "Basal Cell Carcinoma" (BCC). Each image was designated as "Lighter Skin Tone" , "Darker Skin Tone" , "Light and Dark Skin Tone" , or "Inconclusive/ Other" based on the published 5-tone Pantone swatch. 4 "Lighter Skin Tones" included Pantones A-B or lighter while "Darker Skin Tones" included Pantones C-E or darker. Images where skin tone could not be differentiated were deemed inconclusive. Pantone shade for each image of darker skin tone was documented, along with the image number in the search; final results were compiled and averaged. RESULTSDarker skin tones were infrequently encountered in the first 100 Google Image results for each search term. 1200 pictures were evaluated, of which 95% (n=1140) depicted only lighter skin tones, 1.25% (n=15) displayed only darker skin tones, and