Google to Now Begin Flagging Content as "Upsetting-Offensive"

Only a matter of time, really.

ogle is trying to improve the quality of its search results by directing review teams to flag content that might come across as upsetting or offensive.

With the change, content with racial slurs could now get flagged under a new category called "upsetting-offensive." So could content that promotes hate or violence against a specific group of people based on gender, race or other criteria.

While flagging something doesn't directly affect the search results themselves, it's used to tweak the company's software so that better content ranks higher. This approach might, for instance, push down content that is inaccurate or has other questionable attributes, thereby giving prominence to trustworthy sources.

The stuff about "promoting hate and violence" is the foot-in-the-door excuse.

posted by Ace at 03:31 PM

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