Google Issues Formal Apology Over Racist Word in BAFTA News Alert
Google has issued a formal apology after a news notification sent to users' phones included a racial insult, according to a report. The alert was related to a controversial incident during Sunday's British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) ceremony on February 22.
Controversial BAFTA Moment Triggers Notification Error
The incident occurred during the awards ceremony when an audience member with Tourette syndrome involuntarily shouted the N-word. The outburst happened while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to present an award. Google confirmed the racist word appeared in a "push alert" previewing a story about the event, as reported by Business Insider.
"We're deeply sorry for this mistake. We've removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again," a Google spokesperson said in an official statement.
Google Clarifies System Error, Denies AI Involvement
While early reports suggested that Artificial Intelligence (AI) was responsible for generating the slur, Google strongly denied this claim. The company explained that its push alert systems recognized a euphemism for the slur used in news stories and incorrectly inserted the full word.
"This system error did not involve AI. Our safety filters did not properly trigger, which is what caused this," Google stated. The search giant emphasized that it caught the mistake quickly and only a "small subset of users" received the alert containing the unedited racial slur.
BAFTA Attendee with Tourette Syndrome at Center of Controversy
The attendee involved in the controversy is John Davidson, whose life inspired the film I Swear. Davidson has Tourette syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations. He expressed that he was "deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."
According to the Tourette Association of America, Tourette syndrome affects millions of people worldwide, but only about 10% of those individuals experience coprolalia – the involuntary vocalization of obscene or socially inappropriate words.
BBC and BAFTA Face Criticism Over Broadcast Handling
Meanwhile, both the BBC and BAFTA are facing significant criticism because the ceremony was aired on a two-hour tape delay, which should have provided sufficient time to edit out the offensive language before broadcast.
The BAFTAs issued a statement saying: "We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologize to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy."
Kate Phillips, the BBC's chief content officer, added: "We take full responsibility for what happened. When I was made aware it was audible on iPlayer, I asked for it to be taken down. As I'm sure you're aware we put out a statement yesterday morning apologising that the remark was not edited out prior to broadcast."
The incident has sparked broader conversations about content moderation, disability awareness, and the responsibilities of both technology companies and broadcasters in handling sensitive content appropriately.
