Comments on: Google Translate’s bug and Google Suggest’s racial oddity http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/ Meditations on programming, startups, and technology Thu, 10 May 2012 04:53:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Google Suggestions « Race, Gender, and Technology http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-7994 Google Suggestions « Race, Gender, and Technology Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:42:58 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-7994 [...] http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/ [...] [...] http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/ [...]

]]> By: JR http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2850 JR Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:53:20 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2850 Have you seen this? Pretty hilarious if you ask me. http://www.blahblahfish.com Have you seen this? Pretty hilarious if you ask me. http://www.blahblahfish.com

]]> By: The new Googlebomb - Ultrabrown http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2820 The new Googlebomb - Ultrabrown Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:05:43 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2820 [...] Antonio Cangiano and [...] [...] Antonio Cangiano and [...]

]]> By: User http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2805 User Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:11:20 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2805 Of course, this word-based blacklisting suffers from the usual problem of distinguishing the racial slur from other phrases that happen to contain a homonym. Looks like Google won't be giving me any contextual suggestions about popular searches on the New Zealand national rugby team! Of course, this word-based blacklisting suffers from the usual problem of distinguishing the racial slur from other phrases that happen to contain a homonym. Looks like Google won’t be giving me any contextual suggestions about popular searches on the New Zealand national rugby team!

]]> By: T. http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2800 T. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:55:44 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2800 Garbage in garbage out. It is not a bug, it is a problem with the input data. Garbage in garbage out.
It is not a bug, it is a problem with the input data.

]]> By: Antonio Cangiano http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2799 Antonio Cangiano Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:22:24 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2799 @mind: yes, they most likely have a list in which they added "blacks" (and racial slurs) but not "jews" or people from different ethnicities. It would be nicer to implement a better filter that blacklists other racist/sexist offensive suggestions, but it's nothing vital (it wouldn't be censorship or anything like that, given that the results would be there, but not the autocomplete). On the other hand, having no blacklist at all and just allow the automated system to give suggestions would be acceptable too, if specified in Google's policy. As I said, I wanted to point this out but I don't think it's a big deal at all. @mind: yes, they most likely have a list in which they added “blacks” (and racial slurs) but not “jews” or people from different ethnicities. It would be nicer to implement a better filter that blacklists other racist/sexist offensive suggestions, but it’s nothing vital (it wouldn’t be censorship or anything like that, given that the results would be there, but not the autocomplete). On the other hand, having no blacklist at all and just allow the automated system to give suggestions would be acceptable too, if specified in Google’s policy. As I said, I wanted to point this out but I don’t think it’s a big deal at all.

]]> By: mind http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2797 mind Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:58:07 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2797 “<various racial slurs> are” shows nothing as well. i'm sure there's just a list of words somewhere that autocomplete is disabled for. 'blacks' must be on this list, while 'whites' is not. you'd think they would add all of the non-offensive terms because they can become offensive based on context. then again, fuck people getting offended. (i feel dirty after talking about programmatic ways to keep people from seeing certain words) “<various racial slurs> are” shows nothing as well. i’m sure there’s just a list of words somewhere that autocomplete is disabled for. ‘blacks’ must be on this list, while ‘whites’ is not. you’d think they would add all of the non-offensive terms because they can become offensive based on context.

then again, fuck people getting offended. (i feel dirty after talking about programmatic ways to keep people from seeing certain words)

]]> By: Antonio Cangiano http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2794 Antonio Cangiano Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:40:40 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2794 @friism: I'm aware of their official explanation as to why nastiness ends up in search suggestions. Their message makes perfect sense. However, there is a clear lack of intervention when it comes to those words associated with pretty much all the major religious beliefs, nationalities, and ethnicities except for the one I described. @friism: I’m aware of their official explanation as to why nastiness ends up in search suggestions. Their message makes perfect sense. However, there is a clear lack of intervention when it comes to those words associated with pretty much all the major religious beliefs, nationalities, and ethnicities except for the one I described.

]]> By: friism http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2792 friism Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:32:35 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2792 The racial/religious nastiness is not new and Google provides an explanation: http://www.google.com/explanation.html The racial/religious nastiness is not new and Google provides an explanation:
http://www.google.com/explanation.html

]]> By: Antonio Cangiano http://programmingzen.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2791 Antonio Cangiano Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:29:38 +0000 http://antoniocangiano.com/2008/03/22/google-translates-bug-and-google-suggests-racial-oddity/#comment-2791 @Filepromptguy: it's extremely unlikely that it's a bug. It used to work just as it did for all the other groups and then suddenly stopped working only for one of them. The fact that "blacks" without the word "are" doesn't prompt anything either gives away that it's highly likely been intentionally blocked. Anyway, it's an oddity I wanted to point out, but it's not a big deal. :) @Filepromptguy: it’s extremely unlikely that it’s a bug. It used to work just as it did for all the other groups and then suddenly stopped working only for one of them. The fact that “blacks” without the word “are” doesn’t prompt anything either gives away that it’s highly likely been intentionally blocked. Anyway, it’s an oddity I wanted to point out, but it’s not a big deal. :)

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