Thread: Michelle Obama picture that is topping Google Images REMOVED

Michelle Obama 'racist' picture that is topping Google Images removed

Hot Girls website apologises over 'monkey' picture that had been appearing at the top of Google Images searches

A blog hosting an offensive image of Michelle Obama with monkey features has removed it and posted an apology.

The image, which has been appearing at the top of search results when the words "Michelle Obama" are put into Google Images, was posted on a blog called Hot Girls, which is hosted by the Google-owned blog service, Blogger.

Hot Girls' owner has today removed the image, which appears to have originally been put up with a blog post on 21 October, and displayed an apology in Chinese with a very loose English translation.

Google had refused to remove the offensive image from its picture search listings, despite complaints that it is racist, instead opting to run an ad next to it explaining its policy on how search engine results work.

A spokesman for Google said that the Hot Girls blog and image may still temporarily appear when some users make Google Images searches but that it was coming out of the search engine's indexing system.

Earlier today Google's ad explaining why it kept the image in search listings was being sporadically replaced by other ads.

A spokesman for Google UK said the company was looking into why that was happening for some users and that it was not a "deliberate" action to remove the explanation.

"We would generally keep it [the explanation] up for as long as the blog [hosting the content] was up," he added.

Google warned, however, that the image of the US first lady could easily reappear in its listings if another blog posted it.

It is not the first time that Google has taken out explanation ads against search queries. In 2004 when searches for the word "Jew" returned antisemitic website results Google responded with a similar approach.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... es-removed

But this is OK



The collage of Bush and chimps has been around for at least a couple of years if not longer, and no one ever wrote a news story about it.

BUSH COLLAGE

Michelle Obama Picture in Google Image Results Creates Controversy

November 24th, 2009 |

by Jennifer Van Grove176 Comments and 173 Reactions
29

Search for Michelle Obama’s name via Google’s image search and you’ll likely find an image that has been characterized as a racist caricature of the first lady of the US in the top results.

The image is offensive to many and while some are demanding it be removed, Google() is holding firm and yet still apologizing. The Washington Post has uncovered a formal apology from Google in the form of an ad displayed above the offensive image that directs visitors to a page explaining how Google’s search results algorithm works.

In short, while Google apologizes for upsetting searchers, it’s standing by the algorithm. The full text of the statement reads:

“Sometimes Google search results from the Internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries. We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google.

Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Internet. A site’s ranking in Google’s search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page’s relevance to a given query.

The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, as well as the opinions of the general public, do not determine or impact our search results. Individual citizens and public interest groups do periodically urge us to remove particular links or otherwise adjust search results. Although Google reserves the right to address such requests individually, Google views the integrity of our search results as an extremely important priority. Accordingly, we do not remove a page from our search results simply because its content is unpopular or because we receive complaints concerning it. We will, however, remove pages from our results if we believe the page (or its site) violates our Webmaster Guidelines, if we believe we are required to do so by law, or at the request of the webmaster who is responsible for the page.

We apologize if you’ve had an upsetting experience using Google. We hope you understand our position regarding offensive results.

Sincerely,
The Google Team

Yes I agree Skip but I have never approved of any photos which is this demeaning to anyone even if I do not personaly agree with them.

Outrage: Google Censors Michelle Obama Monkey Pic

By Robert Paul Reyes


"For most of the past week, when someone typed `Michelle Obama` in the popular search engine Google, one of the first images that came up was a picture of the American first lady altered to resemble a monkey.

On Wednesday morning, the racially offensive image appeared to have been removed from any Google Image searches for `Michelle Obama.`" CNN.Com


Google`s action is censorship -- plain and simple. Everyone with at least a third grade education realizes that not all images that come up on a Google image search bear the company`s seal of approval. It isn`t human beings who decide which images will appear first on a search query. Results are based on computer algorithms that are way too complicated for this humble blogger to understand.

Does Google plan on banning every image of Michelle Obama that hasn`t been photoshopped to make her look good? Once you start down that slippery slope...

I don`t know what was the motivation behind the person who posted that unflattering image of Michelle Obama. It could have been a simple prank, but it was more likely the work of a racist.

Or perhaps the individual who posted the offensive photograph was simply sick and tired of the media fawning over Michelle Obama. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but most people would agree that the First Lady isn`t very attractive. The press gushes over Ms. Obama as if she were the second coming of Jackie Kennedy. The fact is that Michelle is a plain-looking woman who has absolutely no sense of style.

But the blogger`s reasons for publishing the Michelle Obama monkey pic are irrelevant; it should not have been deleted by Google.

Shame on Google! The Internet should be a bastion of freedom of speech!

Robert Paul Reyes

State: California

College: Alameda Community College

Contact Information: rreyes4966@aol.com

My name is Robert Paul Reyes and I attended Alameda Community College in California. I was born and raised in the liberal San Francisco Bay Area, but now I write a newspaper column, from a liberal perspective, for a small town in the Bible Belt. I also contribute to several online publications including AmericanChronicle.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com and BleacherReport.Com.

The tag line for one of my blogs is "Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating" -- that sums up my writing interests.

I enjoy visiting this site and I`m honored to be a part of this online community.

http://thesop.org/index.php?bio=rreyes4966

There is one going around about the letters and numbers on Air Force One. I don't know if any of you have seen it or know if it is still up?