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The news this morning is that Google and Microsoft are working together to with the UK's National Crime Agency and the Internet Watch Foundation to block and prevent child pornography images and other abusive images from their search engines.
The BBC reports they have blocked around a 100,000 search terms from showing any results when searched on. I tried searching for the term [child pornography] in both Google and Bing, while Bing shows nothing at all, Google currently takes a different approach. Google shows image from those arrested for it or sites that are fighting against it.
Google communications director Peter Barron said:
We're agreed that child sexual imagery is a case apart, it's illegal everywhere in the world, there's a consensus on that. It's absolutely right that we identify this stuff, we remove it and we report it to the authorities.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Comments:
ethalon
11/18/2013 02:07 pm
What is really disturbing is that there are ~100,000 search terms that needed to be filtered out. Was there really that extensive of a jargon/pedophile community out there that 100,000 search phrases needed to be acted on? 100,000 is a large number...and I can't/find it depressing to think about the human abuse that number represents. Here is hoping that victim-centered websites don't get caught up in the net and make the first steps in getting help that much more difficult.
CaptainKevin
11/18/2013 04:30 pm
I expected this to happen. As Google and Bing decided to display full size images, without sending people to the destination sites, they also assumed greater responsibility in what they show. It's almost as if these search engines have taken our ownership rights away, which to some degree they have with all of the traffic they have take too. It's a matter of liability. If it were a matter of responsibility, then the search engines would block all child porn queries as ethalon noted.
ethalon
11/18/2013 04:42 pm
Question: Why would, in your opinion, their responsibility increase now that the display full sized images? Weren't they just as responsible when they were displaying low quality or even thumbnail images?
CaptainKevin
11/18/2013 06:56 pm
The courts have given some leeway for use of thumbnail/preview type images. Now that these search engines are showing the full deal, where it is hosted loses its relevance as a matter of legal defense because the intended display goal is to not use a preview in a fair use capacity but rather to satisfy a searcher's complete query. Social responsibility and legal responsibility are two different things that should not be confused.
Spook SEO
11/18/2013 07:43 pm
The numbers are already alarming. Knowing that this issue can lead to bigger problems for the society, these search engines did a good job when it comes to prevention. The next topic should be the banning of different porn sites. Many will disagree but it is already needed as more and more children are exposed on the Internet.
James R. Halloran
11/18/2013 08:48 pm
100,000 search terms? Holy Christ! I'm glad Google and Bing are actually teaming up for a good cause much like they did with mugshot sites that extorted people off searches for their name. I hope one of their next moves would be to remove "vengeance sites" from the SERPs. ("Vengeance sites" are where bitter people post sex videos and nude photos of their exes after a breakup.) I think they also align with the ill intentions of mugshot sites, especially since several of them also extort various young girls (some of who are still minors) into paying money to take them down. It's disgusting.
Ria Parish
11/19/2013 10:28 am
What kind of idiotic paedophile would Google for child pornography anyway? And what an even more idiotic scumbag of a paedophile would allow their child-pornographic website to be indexed by Google? I don't think that blocking 100,000 search terms is going to make any kind of impact on the industry unfortunately. It's all too underground. But still, I'm sure less than internet-savvy people concerned about child pornography are going to be celebrating Google and Microsoft for eradicating child pornography from the internet forever. If only we could do something about the issue, instead of just keeping up appearances.
Josef Holm
11/19/2013 03:18 pm
I think in fact this is a very important step in the right direction, not enough but definitely better than showing just search results.
Graciousstore
11/20/2013 05:46 am
That is a good move if the search engine can block every form of child pornography.
BigZan
12/23/2013 11:03 pm
I am a webmaster for a criminal defense attorney. We were in the top 3 spots in SERP's before November 18th for certain searches of crimes against children (i.e. child abuse, sexual crimes, etc). Now we're completely gone. Not really sure what I can do except wait and hope Google does some fine tuning?