COC Video Shines Light on Google’s Harmful Practices; Seeks Accountability
Color Of Change Report
For years, Google has been putting out its annual “Year in Search,” a video snapshot of the trends in search activity on its site.
Earlier this month, a spoof of Google’s video – produced by Color Of Change – caught the tech giant’s attention.
The video, called “Hold Google Accountable,” illustrates in 1 minute and 27 seconds why Google needs to conduct a racial equity audit: Lawsuits and published allegations that Google mistreats and underpays its Black workers, uses racist algorithms and monetizes extremism by giving a platform to white supremacists on its subsidiary, YouTube. An independent racial equity audit would have flagged the areas for Google to address and prevented these harms.
The video ends with the Google search, “How to hold Google accountable?” The search result shows a Color Of Change petition demanding that the tech giant agrees to a third-party examination and acts to eliminate discrimination in its products and workplaces.
The COC video is changing the narrative about Google during a time of year when the tech giant is seeking to present a sanitized corporate image. The COC video brings to light the discriminatory and societal harms our communities face daily because of Google’s refusal to address discrimination in its policies and decisions.
The video has garnered a strong response from COC members. Thousands of people have viewed the COC video, which was broadcast on social media a week ahead of Google’s Year in Search video using the same channels Google employs. Several thousand people also have signed COC’s petition demanding that Google executives conduct a racial equity audit.
“Our goal in the new year is to get Google to commit to a racial equity audit during their annual shareholders meeting in June,” said Angel Han, senior campaign manager with COC’s Corporate Accountability Team.
In mid-2022, a majority of shareholders in Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, voted in favor of a racial equity audit. However, because of the unequal voting structure, shareholders such as Google’s founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin struck down the proposal.
For years, Color Of Change has called on Google to undertake a review. The tech company released a statement in support of Black lives in 2020 after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, but has failed to address racial bias issues in its own offices and business model.
Earlier this year, COC deployed mobile billboards along the Google campus shuttle route in California, an attempt to encourage Google workers to pressure company leaders to conduct a racial equity audit.
In 2018, Facebook agreed to a civil rights audit after Color Of Change and a coalition of partners pressured the company to address myriad concerns about its platform, including hate speech, voter suppression attempts and discriminatory targeted advertising, as well as the company’s failure to protect Black users. The agreement called for Facebook to disclose the results of the audit and publish its progress.
Color Of Change has pushed to hold tech companies accountable for the safety and well-being of Black people, who are often subjected to online attacks. The racial justice organization launched its Black Tech Agenda in September to provide policymakers with a road map that ensures racial equity in regulating technology.
“COC will never let up when it comes to holding Big Tech accountable for the safety and well-being of Black people,” Han said.