Should Google Always Tell the Truth?

[didymus]

The Atlantic:

Should Google Always Tell the Truth?

What is Google’s responsibility to its searchers? In a Thursday panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Ashkan Soltani, the Federal Trade Commission’s chief technologist, offered a hypothetical that captured why that question is so difficult to answer. Before getting to that hypothetical, let’s assume that Google commits––whether formally or informally––to the notion that it has some responsibility to look out for its users. For example, if someone searches for the best way to drive from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, it will direct them to the fastest or safest route, not the route that takes them past an out-of-the-way fast food chain that paid off the search engine.
That’s an easy case: the best interests of the searcher is clear.

In contrast, Soltani’s hypothetical raised larger questions about what it means to act in a searcher’s best interests. “Suppose Google is a fiduciary to us, they and Bing decide that they’re going to look out for us. And I happen to believe that vaccines are probably bad,” he began. “And I Google ‘should I vaccinate my child?’”

“If Google is ‘looking out for me,’” he continued, “should they interpret that in the best way as, you’ve got to shake this person by the lapels, the way that I presume a doctor would?”
Or should a benevolent Google’s approach be, “we’re looking out for you, we know what kinds of articles you’re looking for, let us speed you to your destination”?

[snip]

Here are some other hypothetical search terms:

• Are humans causing climate change?
• Is it okay to cheat on my spouse?
• How to make bomb with pressure cooker and nails;
• Most painful way to spank child;
• Is Google evil?
• Leaked sex tape of [insert unwilling celebrity]
• Most painless suicide method
• What do I tell my incoming freshman daughter about campus rape?

As yet, I can’t think of a single method I’d want a search engine to apply to all of those search terms.

A lot of these search results are available without search engines. It would be nice if Google, Bing, et al. refused searches for leaked sex tapes but I’m not sure I want them to be my conscience. Maybe allowing the wronged celebrities to sue would be better.
Bomb making manuals are easily available in hardcopy.

 

[mikekle]

Remember, Google is not an entity, its actually neutral, it only gives answers to questions, points people in the direction of what they are inquiring about, Sure, some people are going to use it for evil deeds, but I dont believe we should IN ANYWAY limit, or censor its results, that would be far worse.

I like to think of Google as a kind of ‘hive mind’, all those things are unfortunately part of this world.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Neither Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Face Book or hundreds of other corporations care a fig for truth, all they care about is what is politically correct. Either that or they are ideologically committed to evil.

Linus2nd.

 

[Corki]

Remember, Google is not an entity, its actually neutral, it only gives answers to questions, points people in the direction of what they are inquiring about, Sure, some people are going to use it for evil deeds, but I dont believe we should IN ANYWAY limit, or censor its results, that would be far worse.

I like to think of Google as a kind of ‘hive mind’, all those things are unfortunately part of this world.

Google is not neutral. The search algorithms drive the results and can be written in ways to skew results to aid an agenda. (not to mention that you can pay to have your organization’s results show up higher in the list).

 

[Jerusha]

Setting facetious comments aside, Google is not God. Pray for discernment, and use common sense. It is nothing more than a huge machine.

 

[mikekle]

I just wonder what Google will look like in 20 yrs, what will they be involved in? I saw recently they are testing and pushing for driver-less cars in some areas, Id imagine this will eventually be nationwide and become the norm, just seems like Google is getting involved in other things much more, but I guess it depends on what the internet looks like in 20 yrs too, that will likely depend on how large Google gets.