Microsoft faces black-and-white issue

A composite image shows a section of the original ad (L) and edited version (R)

Software giant Microsoft apologised today for altering a photo on its website that changed the race of one of the people shown in the picture.

A photo on the company’s US site shows two men, one Asian and one black, and a white woman seated at a conference room table. But on the website of Microsoft’s Polish business unit, the black man’s head has been replaced with that of a white man. The colour of his hand remains unchanged.

The photo editing sparked criticism online. Some bloggers said Poland’s ethnic homogeneity may have played a role in changing the photo.

A Microsoft spokesman said: “We apologise and are in the process of pulling down the image.”

AP