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Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

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Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#2
More Orwellian censorship perhaps.

I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it?

This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information.

Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#3

More Orwellian censorship perhaps. I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it? This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information.

I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it?

Exactly. And, then, publicize it for karma points somewhere, when the outrage kicks in and it gets lots of eyeballs.

Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#4

More Orwellian censorship perhaps. I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it? This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information.

> This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information.

It reminds you of .. the article you are commenting on, today?

Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#5
post #4

More Orwellian censorship perhaps. I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it? This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information.

> This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information. It reminds you of .. the article you are commenting on, today?

Their vanguard stance on antisemitism in general.

https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2065217/google-in-con...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/05/google-al...

Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#6
Good.

We often forget that machine recommendation algorithms do not operate in a vacuum. Strange and offensive suggestions in Google search results often appear because curious users notice an odd suggestion and click on it, causing it to rank higher -- not because the suggestion is inherently good or useful.

The problem is only worse on some other sites, incidentally. The prominence of suggested videos on YouTube has some really strange effects on the popularity of certain videos. Similar effects exist with some Amazon products too (as "customers also shopped for…"), as well as with many other recommendation algorithms.

Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#7

More Orwellian censorship perhaps. I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it? This reminds me of the time Google manipulated their SERP to hide holocaust revisionist information.

> I mean how are you going to find "offensive" stuff in the first place unless you were looking for it and want to read about it?

When Google Autocomplete suggests that users search for offensive queries based on (relatively) inoffensive stems, as explained in the article.

Re: Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

#9
To me part of the problem is that they suggest an entire search phrase based on a few words. It's ludicrous that typing "how to" suggests "make money" and "make love". I feel like it would be better if they only provided suggestions when there was a smaller spectrum of possibilities available. Sometimes it feels like someone is trying to put ideas into your head. At best, the line between helpful and harmful is very blurred.
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