An internal email shows that despite its anti-war stance, the company bowed to Kremlin decrees.
In early March, contractors working for Google to translate company text for the Russian market received an update from their client: Effective immediately, the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine could no longer be referred to as a war but rather only vaguely as “extraordinary circumstances.” The internal email, obtained by The Intercept, was sent by management at a firm that translates corporate texts and app interfaces for Google and other clients. Most Read Ukrainian Journalist Finds Charred Remains Where Alleged War Crime Was Filmed Robert Mackey The U.S. Has Its Own Agenda Against Russia Jeremy Scahill Honor Culture Is Back. We Eradicated It for a Reason. Ryan Grim The email passed along instructions from Google with the new wording. The instructions also noted that the word “war” should continue to be used in other markets and that the policy change was intended to keep Google in compliance with a Russian censorship law enacted just after the invasion of Ukraine. [...] According to a translator who spoke to The Intercept, the orders apply to all Google products translated into Russian, including Google Maps, Gmail, AdWords, and Google’s policies and communications with users. (The translator asked for anonymity to avoid reprisal by their employer.) [...] Western commentators have generally lauded Google’s efforts related to the invasion. But the email and translations in Google’s Help Center suggest that its principled stand against Russian state propagandizing is to some extent outweighed by the company’s interest in continuing to do business in Russia. Continua su https://theintercept.com/2022/03/28/google-russia-ukraine-war-censorship/ Giacomo _______________________________________________ nexa mailing list [email protected] https://server-nexa.polito.it/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nexa
