Google is in hot waters right now. Though the company itself is part of the campaign in eradicating "fake news," it seems that it may have accidentally been spreading fake news and conspiracies.
Google's "Featured Snippets" Feeding Facts Or Misinformation?
Google has this thing called "Featured Snippets" or what an article at Search Engine Land calls the "one time answer" feature. Essentially, it is a summary of an answer to a user's query which is displayed on top of Google's search results.
Featured Snippets Could Be Worse Than Fake News (And Hilarious)
An article at The Outline has listed a list of the answers given by the Featured Snippets that are allegedly considered to be fake news and conspiracies. Here is the list:
If users will type in "presidents in the klan" the Featured Snippets will show four names, Pres. William McKinley, Pres. Woodrow Wilson, Pres. Warren G. Harding and Pres. Harry S. Truman. According to Google, they are part of the racist Cult Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
If users will type in "is Obama planning martial law," it will show that Barrack Hussein Obama is implementing Alinskey's rules on a much wider scale. Furthermore, it says that Obama using these rules to divide America so that it may cause widespread chaos and panic in order to declare martial war.
But perhaps, the most outrageous of them is when users will type in "is Obama planning a coup." On the Featured Snippets, it will say that not only could Obama be in bed with the communist Chinese, but is also planning a communist coup d'état at the end of his term in 2016.
There are a few more examples listed. If you want to check the full list, here is the article published at The Outline.
What Is Google Doing About This?
Google has acknowledged this problem and is sorry for any offense that the Featured Snippets may have caused. Apparently, the company is working quickly to remove it.
