A New York financial regulator says it is investigating claims of gender discrimination by tech giant Apple's new credit card and its issuer Goldman Sachs after a cardholder's tweet about his wife's credit limit went viral.
American businessman David Heinemeier Hansson had tweeted on Thursday that the Apple Card is a "f***ing sexist program".
He said the card's "black box" algorithm had given him 20 times the credit limit of his wife, even though they file joint tax returns and she has a higher credit score.
Mr Hansson tweeted a series of messages recounting fruitless chats with Apple customer service agents, who were unable to explain the disparity, but blamed it on the algorithm that determines an applicant's creditworthiness.
American Businessman David Heinemeier Hansson tweeted about the credit card this weekend. Source: Twitter 'dhh'
A "black box" algorithm refers to artificial intelligence systems whose decisions cannot be explained.
In March, Apple started offering the Apple Card, issued by banking giant Goldman Sachs.
New York state regulators will "be conducting an investigation to determine whether New York law was violated and ensure all consumers are treated equally regardless of sex," a spokesman for Department Superintendent Linda Lacewell said.
"Any algorithm, that intentionally or not results in discriminatory treatment of women or any other protected class of people violates New York law."
Goldman Sachs spokesman Andrew Williams said credit decisions are based on creditworthiness, not "factors like gender, race, age, sexual orientation or any other basis prohibited by law".
