Obviously there are limits to Google's openness on certain topics and hiding away the truth and suggestive text results but not enough that they are unwilling to run Google AdWords results to profit from these types of search queries.
Google has shown its willingness to support the Gay & Lesbian community again this year with their annual support of Gay & Lesbian pride month by running a small image on a number of keywords such as “gay”, “lesbian”, “lgbt”, “transgender” and “transexual”. It’s great to see that Google is supporting various groups but there are also some interesting points to this that show that the Google Instant algorithm is censoring this same group from the Google search results. So it gives with one hand in the rainbow flag and takes back with the other via Google Instant censorship as highlighted below.
Screenshots of Google Rainbows & Any Related Issues
Google instant doesn’t actually offer “Gay” as the suggested instant result instead offering “gaylord” and it’s not until you place a space does it offer “gay marriage” along with the rainbow image, so it has expanded the campaign just beyond a single phrase.
Again it seems that Google instant doesn’t offer “Lesbian” as the suggested instant result instead offering “lesbian vampire killers” but unlike “gay” search queries none of the suggested instant results around “lesbians” offer the rainbow image.
Google instant has managed to get this result correct with the first instant but also because it’s such a unique self-designation by the gay community.
Google instant has managed to censor “transexual” search queries so it’s not offered as a suggested Google instant query and you have to hit enter to see the results. Obviously there are limits to Google’s openness on certain topics and hiding away the truth and suggestive text results but not enough that they are unwilling to run Google AdWords results to profit from these types of search queries. Upside is they are recognised by Google as being part of Gay & Lesbian pride month just a little more censored.
It’s interesting that Google’s instant algorithm censor’s “transexuals” from its search results but happily offers keyword suggestions in Google instant and the ability to see results for “transgender” search queries.
Google has managed to censor “bisexual” search queries so it’s not offered as a suggested Google instant query and you have to hit enter to see the results. Obviously there are limits to Google’s openness on certain topics and hiding away the truth and suggestive text results but not enough that they are unwilling to run Google AdWords results to profit from these types of search queries. Upside is they are recognised by Google as being part of Gay & Lesbian pride month just a little more censored.
Google censors one group but not another?
It’s always been an issue since Google Instant was launched back in September 2010 that Google Instant Censors it’s search results, but it seems once again the stupidity of censoring out the results with one lot of resources and promoting Gay & Lesbian pride with a different lot of resources.
Where the idea falls short
I feel it would make sense if this was expanded to cover a number of negative terms based around the recent homophobic remarks by Tracy Morgan & tweets by Cee Lo Green, also a click on the image doesn’t provide any details or link to details about Gay & Lesbian pride month. It’s a great step forward for any company to support groups like LGBT but it’s a shame when it’s algorithm is censoring that part of society away bit by bit.
Credit
Would like to thank Barry Schwartz for the heads up on this one over at Search Engine Roundtable.