Black-owned businesses in Google Maps and how to discriminate to fight discrimination

In July, Google launched a new tool that allows businesses to identify themselves as black-owned through the company’s Maps and Search listings. The new feature is part of the company’s pledge announced in June to support the black community with “initiatives and product ideas that support long-term solutions.”

When searching for a business through Google.com or Google Maps, you’ll now be able to see a new badge to represent Black-owned businesses. In 2018, Google introduced similar badges for businesses to display if they were either “Women-Led” and/or friendly to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Google said that it had seen “a surge in online searches for Black-owned businesses” as consumers look to spend money at these businesses to show support amid the Black Lives Matter protests. One of Google’s main business listing competitors, Yelp, which introduced its own Black-owned icon recently, reported similar increase in searches for the same type of businesses. Yelp said in its Q2 economic average report that there were more than 2.5 million searches for Black-owned businesses between May 25th and July 10th.

Source: The Verge