Can English accent be part of discrimination?
<p>Suppose, a tech company in the USA uses AI software to test if a candidate has a certain accent (e.g. standard American accent, Southern British accent, etc.). The candidate has to attain a certain score to pass the test irrespective of race, ethnicity, nationality, etc.</p>
<p>Would that be considered discrimination? Would that be a punishable offense?</p>

<p>The Dept. of Labor makes it easy for you: <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/civil-rights-center/National-Origin-Discrimination" rel="noreferrer">as they say</a>, it is illegal discrimination.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Civil Rights Center (CRC), is
charged with enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42
U.S.C § 2000e-16, which prohibits employment discrimination based on
race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, as it applies to
employees and applicants for employment at DOL. National origin
discrimination can involve treating applicants for employment or
employees of DOL unfavorably because of their actual or perceived
place of birth, country of origin, ancestry, native language, <strong>accent</strong>,
or because they are perceived as looking or sounding &quot;foreign.&quot;...
National origin discrimination can also include disparate treatment
because of a person's <strong>accent</strong></p>
</blockquote>

united-states employment discrimination