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Google is too white

Black is the new black

GOOGLE IS TOO WHITE and it is time for a search engine that turns out results more targeted at the black community, according to a bloke who has designed a new search engine to do that.

Johnny Taylor has set up a new browser called Rushmore Drive which he says redresses the balance.

In an interview to The Times Taylor said that there was a white Google which, while not being racist, just returns results with a Caucasian slant.

He points out if you type in the world "whitney" you don't get the popular warbling artist, but the Whitney Museum or the bank instead.

On Rushmore Drive, Whitney Houston has the number one slot, so it all makes it worthwhile.

If you do a search on Google for 'diabetes', you get the American Diabetes Association, but Rushmore Drive shows, "statistics about African-Americans and Diabetes" as its second result and a link to the diabetes section on blackhealthcare.com as its fifth.

It does this by giving more weight to the word 'black' in the search algorithm. µ

L'Inq
LA Times

Comments

Themed search engines? bit OTT really

Google is a general search engine. You can't compare them as they work on different mechanics.

Also if your search was defined using the correct definitions (quotes around words, using OR and minus signs) you could probably easily acheive similar results.
posted by : Richard Alpagot, 20 August 2008

Really???

Well, Whitney Houston is the second result returned and it is a valid reason since in the west we place more importance on the surname.... but either way you need both the fore and surname to expect a result to come back the way you want it for a person. You don't type in Barak and get back only Obama.... nor if you search for Tony (Blair), Thom (Yorke), Mick (Hucknall).

Is it really normal of a person to expect to be the top search for what is globally a common noun?
posted by : James, 20 August 2008

wannabe money cow in all but name :O)



here we go, veiled discrimination stuff, yawn, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

aaaaaaaaaaaand engines weighted for, lesbian dancin groups, single yellow parents, 11 fingered poker players, single legged gay morris dancers, homophobic dwarves, curly tailed dogs, ad infinitum...............O_o
posted by : psychochief, 20 August 2008

lol?

So rediculous..
posted by : Sprite, 20 August 2008

Blacks use the internet?

The next thing you are going to suggest is google start using Ebonics.
posted by : Kim Jong-il - Internet Expert, 20 August 2008

This is a joke, right?

This has to be a joke, right?

So now Google is going to bias the "true" relevance of the search results - as if Google wasn't biased enough.

Maybe, just maybe the Whitney Museum or the bank is a wee bit more popular than the warbling artist.

One question - did Google ever give more weight to the word "white" to begin with?

It looks like I'm on the hunt for a new search engine...
posted by : Ted, 20 August 2008

Really, there are no words...

(!)
posted by : Mark Thomas, 20 August 2008

Uhh...

I think the human race just fell backwards into its own pool of creation.
posted by : deis, 20 August 2008

fried chicken and watermellon!

does it return don king?
posted by : dave chappelle, 20 August 2008

Racism?

I find this idea a little bit racist, myself being white :P That's not to say that I pay much attention to it anyway.

This kind of things only helps to widen the colour divide, tbh.
posted by : MaxS, 20 August 2008

Not true, Google isn't caucasian biased

If I do a Google search for "cracked out beaten up singers" it returns a reference to Whitney Houston first. Amy Winehouse is all the way down at 8th.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=cracked+out+beaten+up+singers&meta=
posted by : Glen, 20 August 2008

@ted

hey ted, google isn't changing it's some moron with an idea for a new search engine
posted by : @ted, 20 August 2008

let Google speak for itself

Google results (SafeSearch is ON) for
"white is more important" about 28,900,000
"black is more important" about 24,600,000

flaming racists...

posted by : Jason, 20 August 2008

Translations

Google duz not wanna rap JIBE eider

http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/dialectp.cgi?dialect=jive&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com
posted by : Mark B, 20 August 2008

Aren't there more important things...?

Slow news day, eh?
posted by : abzu, 20 August 2008

@ @Ted

Oops, my bad. Thanks for pointing that out.

I read this before my morning coffee and I guess I didn't quite get the details correct.

Ok then - on with the new racist search engine...(it still seems like a joke, though).
posted by : Ted, 20 August 2008

American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is an excellent source for all people looking for information about diabetes, regardless of race.
posted by : saye sibley, 20 August 2008

They want a black Google?

I thought they were referring to www.blackle.com when they said Google is too white!!
posted by : snoswell, 22 August 2008
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