Don’t be an infidel?

10 Responses to Don’t be an infidel?

1. Mike H says:

   January 7, 2010 at 11:35 pm

   I’d say Google is probably truthful here. If you enter “Islam should” or “Islam must” it will come up with suggestions like “Islam must be destroyed” or “Islam must be stopped” (same with should). I don’t know how that would be less problematic for Google from an Islamic anger perspective than “Islam is false” or a similar wording. Also, “Jews are” turns up blank as well, however other slightly altered wordings will come up with all sorts of terribly rude things. A bug in the software seems to make more consistent with the evidence than any deliberate attempt by Google to avoid offensive suggestions. If it was the latter it’d be very poorly implemented.
2. Mike H says:

   January 7, 2010 at 11:39 pm

   @Mike H

   *”seems to be more consistent with the evidence..” of course

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4. Le Mur says:

   January 8, 2010 at 6:26 am

   Goggle’s groveling apology and inadvertent(?) advertising for the M. Obama/chimp photoshopped picture hosted on an Asian actress/model admiration site a few weeks ago contrasted with their reaction (none) to equivalent Bush pictures indicates that google plays politics. I’d blocked all their counting and advertising scripts well before that.

   Interesting semi-on-topic (but not about google) rant here:
   http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2010/01/is-physics-cognitively-biased.html
5. Rufus says:

   January 8, 2010 at 9:02 am

   When you find some software that doesn’t work like you’d expect, it’s much more likely that there’s a bug (a mistake) than some evil conspiracy.
6. Elroy says:

   January 9, 2010 at 6:39 am

   I just tried entering “Islam Is” and the linked article came up first.
7. Susan says:

   January 9, 2010 at 9:30 am

   Razib, I’m sure I’m missing something here, but how would Google profit (by which I assume you mean “make money” or “not lose money”) by self-censoring negative suggestions about Islam?
8. B.B. says:

   January 9, 2010 at 11:21 pm

   Susan says:
   I’m sure I’m missing something here, but how would Google profit (by which I assume you mean “make money” or “not lose money”) by self-censoring negative suggestions about Islam?

   By not having their search-engine blocked in predominately islamic countries, I suppose.
9. Susan says:

   January 10, 2010 at 6:37 am

   @B.B.

   Thanks. It could be a combination of profit, fear, and political correctness, with profit in the lead. Did this move by Google follow the most recent attempt on the Danish cartoonist’s life?
10. Don says:

    January 11, 2010 at 6:01 am

    We know that Google has sucked up to China. What does one get from “China is” or “Leadership of China is”?

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