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Google studying ways to deal with offensive search suggestions and results

22 points by adamcarson 10y ago

unfathomable 10y ago
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.
- e40 10y ago
  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.
- harryjo 10y ago
  > 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?
  - unfathomable 10y ago
    Their vanguard stance on antisemitism in general. https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2065217/google-in-controversy-over-top-ranking-for-anti-jewish-site https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2065217/google-in-con... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/05/google-alters-search-autocomplete-remove-are-jews-evil-suggestion https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/05/google-al...
- duskwuff 10y ago
  > 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.
duskwuff 10y ago
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.
lacampbell 10y ago
I switched to duckduckgo after google started putting up political messages on their homepage in 2015. I don't need google to tell me what's fake and what isn't, and what's offensive and what isn't.
- vonklaus 10y ago
  ...and what simply is. If you go to wolfram alpha the number of google users / total internet is 42%. No idea why people dont consider this dangerous
danjc 10y ago
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.
user5994461 10y ago
I don't get the problem. Google suggests what people are looking for. If people wonders whether the holocaust happened, maybe the question should be answered?
ionwake 10y ago
I built www.thehivemind.online using the google suggestion apis, for a bit of fun. Only works in chrome, was trying to get around to finishing it for showHN, but now I might never get a chance it seems.
tyingq 10y ago
Not photoshopped: http://i.imgur.com/GbQ4CSf.png http://i.imgur.com/GbQ4CSf.png
mikebay 10y ago
Haha, in other words: Hiding search results to fit googles new world order agenda ? Google, your main priority seems to be censorship and spying for NSA. You advertised "don't be evil" but you are more than evil today. Google, no thanks!

22 points by adamcarson 10y ago

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.

e40 10y ago
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.
harryjo 10y ago
> 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?
- unfathomable 10y ago
  Their vanguard stance on antisemitism in general. https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2065217/google-in-controversy-over-top-ranking-for-anti-jewish-site https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2065217/google-in-con... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/05/google-alters-search-autocomplete-remove-are-jews-evil-suggestion https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/05/google-al...
duskwuff 10y ago
> 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.

duskwuff 10y ago

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.

lacampbell 10y ago

I switched to duckduckgo after google started putting up political messages on their homepage in 2015. I don't need google to tell me what's fake and what isn't, and what's offensive and what isn't.

vonklaus 10y ago
...and what simply is. If you go to wolfram alpha the number of google users / total internet is 42%. No idea why people dont consider this dangerous

danjc 10y ago

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.

user5994461 10y ago

I don't get the problem. Google suggests what people are looking for. If people wonders whether the holocaust happened, maybe the question should be answered?

ionwake 10y ago

I built www.thehivemind.online using the google suggestion apis, for a bit of fun. Only works in chrome, was trying to get around to finishing it for showHN, but now I might never get a chance it seems.

tyingq 10y ago

Not photoshopped: http://i.imgur.com/GbQ4CSf.png http://i.imgur.com/GbQ4CSf.png

mikebay 10y ago

Haha, in other words: Hiding search results to fit googles new world order agenda ? Google, your main priority seems to be censorship and spying for NSA. You advertised "don't be evil" but you are more than evil today. Google, no thanks!