‘Google: Sorry for the Bogus Content in Search Results’ – Entrepreneur
Tom Brant says, “In its quest to index the internet, Google’s search engine has come across quite a few questionable websites. That content occasionally shows up at the top of the search results as an embarrassing example of how its algorithms can’t always discern the truth.
Google “Why are fire trucks red?” for instance, and the top suggested search result is a snippet of a Monty Python joke involving measurements, ships and Queen Elizabeth. Although it’s a relatively benign joke, it’s ultimately unhelpful. And as The Outline points out, some results are far more concerning: Google’s algorithms have promoted websites that claim several presidents were Ku Klux Klan members or that Barack Obama intended to divide America so he could declare “martial war.”
Google’s systems have for years automatically selected the top answers to some commonly searched-for subjects based on several factors, including a “Knowledge Graph,” and displayed them in a conspicuous box at the top of search results pages. That practice came under renewed criticism on Monday following The Outline’s investigation of its inaccuracies, and amid the fake news stories that have come to the forefront of the national political debate in recent months”.
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