Microsoft in web photo racism row....

[tech_guy]

From the Beeb. Naughty MS!

[Domino]

I love the fact they left his hand....

and no one seems to have noticed the macbook on the desk either...

[SteveBentley]

A purely hypothetical question *cough*

On the website for a small group of people who are, say, doing research into music, you use a stock photo of somebody's hands on a piano keyboard. The stock photo features a black person's hands, but you know that everybody in the research group is white.

Is photoshopping the image to lighten the skin colour, so that the image is more representative of the group it is supposed to be representing, acceptable?

[localzuk]

A purely hypothetical question *cough*

On the website for a small group of people who are, say, doing research into music, you use a stock photo of somebody's hands on a piano keyboard. The stock photo features a black person's hands, but you know that everybody in the research group is white.

Is photoshopping the image to lighten the skin colour, so that the image is more representative of the group it is supposed to be representing, acceptable?

No. What does it matter whether the hands are black, white, purple or green? It doesn't. Just use hands - they're just hands.

[Michael]

It is strange someone has gone to the effort of editing a picture like that. If Microsoft felt it makes all the difference, maybe they should shoot several proper versions which cater for different markets.

As for Microsoft being racist, no I don't believe so. Microsoft have buildings all over the world so inevitably you're going to employ many different people.

[russdev]

What you mean companies edit photoes so that they appeal to right market I am shocked..

This is a national outrage next you will be telling me that when celebrates appear on a front cover they do edit the photo... what you mean they do...

Seriously only news here is that someone should be fired for doing a sloppy job on the edit and person who proofed it for not checking it.

[sparkeh]

Oddly enough, the original guy looks like his giant head is photoshopped as well.

[DaveP]

Microsoft apologizes for race-swap photo incident

This short article highlights things already picked out in this thread:

...although the hand is not changed.

and

..Also note that laptop, it is a Mac…

It also says:

.."We apologize and are in the process of pulling down the image"…