More than 7,700 people have slammed Google
for hosting in its Google Play store the “Make me Asian” and “Make me Indian” apps. Asian-American groups and online users are urging Google to remove the racist apps from Google Play and stay true to its “Don’t be evil” motto.
Click here to view the petition.
Although Google has a Diversity@Google section on its website and a Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report including lots of “Googley” images and anecdotes about scholarships and internships and community philanthropy, we can’t assess its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Despite annual invitations, Google has never participated inThe DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity in the 13 years the survey has been in existence.
The free apps allow Android smartphone users to edit photos by adding “humorous” stereotypes that vary by app: They can darken skin color, change eye shape to an “Asian” slant or add ethnic accessories like an American Indian headdress. “Compare the results with your friends and laugh heartily!” writes app developer KimberyDeiss. “In few taps you can transform yourself and your friends in the real Indians, using different effects and settings.”
Both apps have been downloaded between 50,000 and 100,000 times.