Google Issues Disclaimer Over Racist Michelle Image

Hackers have doctored a photo of Michelle Obama to look like an ape and rigged Google search results so it comes up first under an image search of her name. The move prompted Google to take out an ad on the results page, reading in part, “Sometimes our search results can be offensive. We agree.” But the company says it will not pull the image.

The ad links to a statement, notes CNET, explaining that “sometimes Google search results from the Internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries.” But the company maintains it blocks results only when the content is illegal or violates Google guidelines. The company has taken out ads of the same sort before when its algorithm has been manipulated, most notably when the search “miserable failure” returned George W. Bush’s website as the top result. Read the latest on the story here.
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