English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scottish Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sundanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu
English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scottish Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sundanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu
Google has taken down a gaming app called “Slavery Simulator” in Brazil following widespread outrage over its racist content. The Portuguese-language game allowed players to engage in the buying, selling, and torture of virtual black “slaves,” while strategically preventing the abolition of slavery to accumulate virtual wealth.
The app faced severe criticism for promoting hate speech and was swiftly investigated by the prosecutor’s office. In response to the backlash, Google removed the app from its Playstore and pledged to prohibit applications that promote violence or hatred based on skin color or ethnic origin. The incident sparked renewed discussions about racism in Brazil, the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888.
Controversy Surrounding the Game:
Dubbed “Slavery Simulator,” the gaming app received widespread condemnation due to its offensive and racist nature. The prosecutor’s office initiated an investigation to address potential hate speech associated with the game, which had been downloaded by hundreds of people. Despite the app featuring a disclaimer condemning slavery and claiming to be solely for entertainment purposes, its content fueled outrage and fueled concerns about racial discrimination.
Google’s Response and Measures:
Following public backlash, Google made the decision to remove the app from its Playstore. The company released a statement emphasizing its policy against applications that incite violence or promote hatred towards specific groups of people based on their skin color or ethnic origin. Google also encouraged users to report offensive content, demonstrating its commitment to addressing such issues on its platform.
Calls for Stricter Content Moderation:
Brazil’s ministry of racial equality called upon Google to implement measures to filter out hate speech, intolerance, and racism in order to prevent the easy dissemination of such content. The presence of the app raised concerns about the persistence of racism in Brazil, where over 56 percent of the population is Afro-Brazilian. Lawmakers and activists criticized the app, describing it as not only racist but also reflective of a broader neo-fascist movement present in the country.
Debates Over Online Regulation and Racism:
The incident involving the “Slavery Simulator” game has reignited debates surrounding online regulation and racism in Brazil. Google has previously expressed opposition to a bill aimed at combating online disinformation, citing concerns about potential threats to free speech.
Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to address disinformation and online extremism, while opponents claim that it could lead to censorship. The issue has even reached the Supreme Court, with a judge ordering an investigation into Google and Telegram for their alleged campaign against the bill.
Ongoing Battle Against Racism:
The recent episode of racism directed at Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior, who plays for Real Madrid, further highlights the persisting problem of racism in the country. Insults were hurled at him during a match, prompting an hour-long symbolic blackout of the lights on the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro as a gesture of solidarity.
