Google Gets Flak For Too Stringent Parent Filter

Overhype

from the all-sides dept

Google had been getting a little bit of bad press here and there, but it seems like the whole Gmail thing opened the floodgates. Now, Declan McCullough is complaining that Google’s SafeSearch feature is too stringent. SafeSearch is supposed to try to weed out adult content from the search engine, and it appears that Google’s implementation is fairly simplistic – blocking out any domain that includes the word “sex,” even when its part of something like PartsExchange or ArkansasExtermination.com. Basically, the story is that the SafeSearch technology is fairly weak, which is true of plenty of filters. Obviously, it’s something that should be improved, but since no one is being forced to use it, it’s unclear why this is so alarming. Besides, when asked, Google says they review sites that people bring to their attention as being inappropriately blocked. All this really is, is yet another example of why filters don’t work very well – but if people want to use badly working filters, that’s their choice.