On his Facebook account, Mark Zuckerberg promised to donate «$10 million [approximately 9 million euros] »additional support for groups working to combat racial injustice", noting that its philanthropic arm, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, has been donating $40 million [35 million euros] annually since «several years».
Each of these pledges was accompanied by a message of support for George Floyd’s loved ones and of solidarity with the Black community. There are many examples like these: Google, Sony, Amazon, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and others have all issued a message and a pledge.
Actions that speak volumes
However, these companies’ positions are struggling to win over both their own employees and the public. There are two reasons for this: their track record and their choice of words. In an article that provides a non-exhaustive overview of the promises made by the tech giants, The Verge Compare their current attitude with the one they had in 2014.
As a reminder, six years ago, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, both African Americans, died following police arrests in Ferguson and New York, respectively. Numerous protests took place across the Atlantic at the time. The conclusion drawn by The Verge is clear: absolutely none of the companies mentioned had reacted in any way at the time.
More recent events have been added to those of the past. On June 10, in in IBM's wake, Amazon announced prohibit police departments from using Rekognition, its facial recognition technology. «We advocate for stricter government regulations on the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and Congress seems ready to take on the challenge.», Amazon said in a statement.
But the company is taking action after years of the incessant and fruitless demands of nongovernmental organizations and employees on the subject. It also continues to grant access to its Ring smart cameras, which work with «more than 1,350 law enforcement agencies», according to the Washington Post.
On social media, the issue of race also extends to what is—or isn’t—allowed to be said online. Earlier this month, when Twitter decided to label certain posts by Donald Trump with warnings to «glorification of violence», Facebook did not respond.
A week later, 5,500 employees of the company were demanding action, in a letter sent to Mark Zuckerberg. «Can we change our policy on political free speech? Politicians should not be exempt from fact-checking and the removal of hate speech.», it read collectively. The letter went unanswered, except for the previously mentioned pledge of a $10 million donation, which was announced a few days later.
Tech giants are also struggling to win people over because demographic statistics (which are permitted in the United States) show that there aren't many more people of color in Silicon Valley than there were ten years ago.
According to a 2019 diversity report by Google, only 3.3% of employees at Alphabet, its parent company, are Black. Apple reaches 9%, according to the Washington Post. Amazon exceeds 26%—but that figure includes precarious, low-skilled warehouse jobs.
Word Choice
Two articles published by Vice and Kotaku For their part, they are examining the choice of words used in the well-known statements of support, particularly with regard to companies in the video game industry.
The only major company in the industry to specifically mention George Floyd by name in its statement is Ubisoft. Furthermore, while the term «anti-racism» appears, the phrases «Black Lives Matter,» «police violence,» and «anti-Black racism» are largely absent.
«How am I supposed to trust EA?" [Electronic Arts] which says it is delaying the release of Madden [the leading American football video game] »Because she cares about the lives of Black people, even though she censored Kaepernick's name in a song in the game last year?", Vice asks.
For the record, the quarterback Colin Kaepernick had refused to stand during the U.S. national anthem to show his solidarity with Black Lives Matter in 2016, and subsequently became persona non grata on National Football League fields.
Public statements, press releases, and pledges of donations should be viewed for what they are: the beginning of a dialogue and a shift in corporate culture among companies that want to continue selling their products and polishing their image, but are compelled to do so by the pressure of public opinion.
«These actions are not a measure of the moral character of multibillion-dollar companies. They are another form of negotiation under the capitalist system. Every company that produces a game wants you to play it and is now gauging your tolerance for silence and inaction, just as it gauges the line it can’t cross when implementing loot boxes.», concludes brilliantly The Verge.
