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4chan tries to make Google censor itself

source: http://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/internet/2016/09/stinking-googles-should-be-killed-why-4chan-using-search-engine-racist

4chan, the recently popularized online forum, has begun a campaign to try and outsmart Google. The forum, specifically the cyber-warriors that frequent it, have begun to replace racial slurs with the word Google, in an effort to render Google’s search/censor AI ineffective. By replacing all instances of racial slurs on social media with the word Google, 4chan hopes to trick Google’s AI into censoring its own name, thus negatively affecting the brand and its advertising power. The operation has already spread into twitter hashtags and Facebook posts, and 4chan has been trying very hard to influence non-4chan-visitors into using the terms as well. While Google generally avoids discussing the specifics of its searching/censoring algorithms, some experts think that the 4chan operation will be unsuccessful because Google’s AI will be able to contextualize the use of the word Google and thus only censor/display the relevant links and posts.

This article is very relevant to web search topics in class. The simplified linking system and searching algorithms we have discussed so far in class would play directly into the scheme that 4chan is trying to pull off. Many sites would receive ‘score’ boosts because they link to/reference Google many times even though, due to 4chan, the sites might be racist hives. Likewise, some sites that link to Google services or pages might be accidentally censored or blocked in an attempt to avoid possible racist activities, even though the sites are simply trying to link you to Google or use one of its services.

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