“Slavery Simulator,” a video game that allowed black characters to be bought, sold, and even tortured, has been removed from its app store by Google after sparking an outcry in Brazil. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation for “hate speech” against this application in Portuguese which had been downloaded by more than a thousand people in the middle of the week.
Players were advised to “use slaves to enrich themselves” or “work to avoid the abolition of slavery to accumulate money”. The app’s user guidelines explained that the game was “designed for entertainment purposes only” and that its creators “condemn any type of slavery”.
After removing the game from its Playstore platform, Google assured in a press release that “applications that promote violence or hatred against groups of people or individuals because of their skin color or their ethnic origin” were prohibited there. . The company has also invited Internet users to denounce any illegal content.
The Ministry of Racial Equality said in a press release that it had requested from Google “effective measures to filter content containing speech of hatred, intolerance and racism”, and “to prevent it from being disseminated so easily, without moderation”. Racism is still very present in Brazil, the last American country to have abolished slavery in 1888, and where more than 56% of the population is made up of Afro-descendants.
“Brazil is one of the countries with the most consumers on Google platforms, and there is this application that recalls the time of slavery, with bonuses for those who torture the most”, lambasted Renata Souza , left-wing regional deputy for Rio de Janeiro. “It is not only racism, but also fascism. Here in Brazil, we have a neofascist movement which is not afraid to show itself (…) because of the absence of regulation of social networks ”, adds this black parliamentarian to AFP.
Google was already at the heart of a controversy at the beginning of the month, openly criticizing – with links appearing under its search engine – a bill aimed at regulating content on the internet. The American giant ended up withdrawing these links, but a Supreme Court judge ordered the opening of an investigation for “abusive campaign” against this bill which should be voted on soon in Congress. The racist insults uttered Sunday in Spain against the Brazilian international Vinicius Jr in the jersey of Real Madrid sparked a wave of indignation throughout Brazil.