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Reported via the Google Web Search Help forum, a user was looking for Pirelli tires and noticed that even though his image search settings was set to the strictest form of SafeSearch, tons of pornographic images were showing up.
Normally when you see a post like this, it is due to the browser having malware on it. But in this case, I was able to replicate it.
Searching for [Pirelli] in Google and setting image search to strict shows me this:
Jay David from Google responded to the complaint saying:
Thanks for reporting this query. We're always working to improve our SafeSearch algorithm, and your report only helps us with that task. If you see other queries with inappropriate results, feel free to report them here in the forum.
The images are still there.
Forum discussion at Google Web Search Help.
Comments:
guest
01/11/2011 01:50 pm
You obviously never heard of the famous Pirelli Calendar, shot by one of worlds top photographers every year. And it's hardly porn - it's art!
Barry Schwartz
01/11/2011 02:11 pm
It should not come up under SafeSearch's strict setting.
Mr.Cifci
01/11/2011 02:32 pm
I could not agree more. they are not pornographic and barely classified as adult material. Some of the pictures may have nudity but most are covered and there should not be a reason for them to be filtered.
Pierluigi Vecchi
01/11/2011 03:14 pm
Yes the Pirelli Calendar Rocks!
Thos003
01/11/2011 06:25 pm
Nude is nude. Should not be in strict search, art or otherwise. I don't feel nude should even be in moderate search.
Quigger
01/12/2011 07:54 am
I guess it depends on how you classify "sexually explicit"? See: http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=35892&hl=en#safe
david
01/12/2011 10:16 am
Really? So what would you suggest that this search (for example) returns? http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=birth+of+venus&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g10&oq=&gs_rfai=&start=0&uss=1
Thos003
01/12/2011 05:00 pm
Hmmm, that is a sticky situation. Are you baiting me with that question? Since I am a pest control guy I would have to go with this for the Birth of Venus... http://images.whereilive.com.au/images/uploads/2008/09/07/ba28aee0c330860e11034fd95a3d3104_resized.JPG
david
01/12/2011 05:31 pm
Not at all! I think search engines generally have a tricky time with this sort of thing, where things don't always fall into convenient black and white categories. When you add in differing cultural norms to the mix you can easily get a situation where something which is (hypothetically) grossly offensive to me, may not even register as being even potentially offensive to you. As an example, consider pharmaceutical adverts in many parts of continental Europe, where the naked human form is quite frequently employed in billboards and shop windows for everyone to see. This always looks very odd to me, because you just don't tend to see the same thing in the UK. That Google's algorithm manages to cope as well as it does (this kind of thread is comparatively rare, after all) is testament to its brilliance. (Hoping you don't consider me a pest BTW!)