White supremacist website that claims the Holocaust is a hoax has caused the search engine giant to come under fire.
Google recently made changes to its algorithms to prevent a Holocaust-denying website from appearing as the top result. Following public outrage, Google decided to change its algorithms to scrap such websites that give false information.
Google Updates Algorithm to Eliminate Holocaust Denial and Neo-Nazi Hate Sites[/tweetthis]
A number of conspiracy theorists today try to spread propaganda saying the Holocaust never took place. This stems from a new-age anti-Semitic movement dubbed neo-Nazi. Websites like these launch an open attack on Jews, especially by denying the Holocaust ever happened at all. Jews and others who support their cause were very upset at the search results that popped up in Google.
The culprit behind this website in coming up on top was Google’s policy of not interfering with information. The algorithms of Google were set in such a way that search results were not edited or tampered with, except under extreme cases. A spokesperson for Google said that it’s very difficult for them to figure out which are the best websites to match the queries in the search box. However, the company keeps trying its best to make changes to its algorithms to produce more credible and meaningful results. The current change will make sure that only results that are based on authoritative information will pop up as the top results. As such, the sites will be more credible and objective.
Google has finally changed its algorithm, scrubs a Neo-Nazi site disputing the Holocaust from its top search results https://t.co/Bk3nKYBoac
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 28, 2016
In the past people have entered queries that cast Jews in a negative light, and websites that promoted anti-Jewish feelings came up as top results. This new website result by white supremacists is not a new issue for Google. For example, until last year, if you asked “who runs Hollywood,” the top results would say “Jews.”
Earlier this month, Google removed autocomplete search suggestions about Jews and women.
Heidi Beirich, intelligence project director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, believes that this is not going to put an end to the racist ideas that these white supremacist websites promote. Although one website won’t show as a top result for “did the Holocaust happen?” anymore, the same question when worded differently will still provide an opportunity for this and other similar websites to pop up in the results. Beirich believes that Google has a long way to go before making sure its search results provide only credible and genuine results without giving anyone the chance to misuse any loopholes.