UNITED KINGDOM
Forbes
May 22, 2018
By Emma Woollacott
Google’s autocomplete function is causing the company problems once again by revealing information that’s legally protected.
The company’s been accused of displaying the names of rape victims through its Autocomplete and Related Search functions – even when the victims have been granted anonymity by the courts.
The problem is that both features use data gathered from previous searches to predict what information the user is looking for and make suggestions. If enough people know a victim’s name and use it as one of their search terms, Google’s algorithm will provide a helpful prompt to those that don’t.
In the US, there’s no legal prohibition on publishing the names of rape victims, although the media tend to avoid doing so. In many countries, however, it’s against the law. And the UK’s Times newspaper has uncovered several cases in which Autocomplete and Related Search have revealed the names of rape victims and others who have official anonymity.
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