Google apologized on Tuesday for sending an “offensive notice” regarding the recent BAFTA film awards controversy involving the use of the N-word.
Google confirmed to Variety that the message contained the slur, which was only received by a “small percentage” of app users who receive push notifications, and was not due to a system error involving AI, as has been incorrectly reported. Google said its system’s safety filters failed when it “recognized a euphemism for an offensive term on some web pages and incorrectly applied the offensive term to notification text.”
The push notification in question linked to a Hollywood Reporter article with the headline “How Tourette’s fallout played out at the BAFTA Film Awards,” and Google also included the text “Read more” followed by the N-word.
“We deeply apologize for this error,” a Google spokesperson said Tuesday. “We are working to remove the offensive notification and prevent this from happening again.”
The notice controversy comes in the aftermath of Sunday’s BAFTA Film Awards, where Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson spontaneously shouted the “N-word” as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting on stage. The pre-recorded moments were broadcast unedited.
In a letter sent to BAFTA members on Tuesday, BAFTA president Sarah Putt and CEO Jane Millichip discussed the incident and said: “We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologize to everyone.” He also said a “comprehensive review” was currently underway.
