Autocomplete can be a nice function, if used properly. YouTube has used it by populating it with choices of the most searched phrases. Unfortunately, improper use can have some rather embarrassing consequences as Google found out when a query of "how to have" showed the first autocomplete suggestion to be "sex with your kids."
The company has moved quickly to issue a fix for the "bug," but complaints of perverts and pedophiles actively using YouTube to search for that sort of stuff are given more credence by the autocomplete result. Outraged Twitter users got a response from TeamYouTube, as seen by Business Insider, that "This is an awful autocomplete result and we really appreciate you making us aware. We've removed it and are working to remove similar results. We will continue to investigate what caused this!"
Medium is also reporting that YouTube is investigating a different type of video as well, where users try to "guess the age" of subjects in the video. Apparently, some of the subjects are as young as 9 years old. Google responded with "Appreciate you sending this search term to us, we take this very seriously and have passed along the video results for review. Also, please flag any videos that violate our policies as that’s the best way to get them reviewed. Thanks!”
YouTube has also come under fire for allowing commentary from pedophiles on video of children. The lack of a crackdown has prompted some advertisers to pull their ads from the site. The site has also promised to block ads from questionable videos using children.
With the huge volume of videos that YouTube must deal with, it is understandable that mistakes will be made and questionable content can slip through. But Google must remain vigilant in its enforcement of this type of content, especially since it is also being battered for censorship by the alt-right, which says it is more stringent in blocking conservative views than it is in stopping videos aimed at pedophiles.
Source and Image: Business Insider
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