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Google Aims To Cull Child Porn By Algorithm, Not Human Review

Posted by timothy on from the safer-search dept.

According to a story at VentureBeat, "Google is working on a new database of flagged images of child porn and abuse that can be shared with other search engines and child protection organizations. The database will help create systems that automatically eliminate that sort of content. ... If the database is used effectively, any flagged image in the database would not be searchable through participating search engines or web hosting providers. And maybe best of all, computers will automatically flag and remove these images without any human needing to see them." Here's the announcement.

3 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. What is the point of this? by Electricity+Likes+Me · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What is the point of automatically removing child porn so it's not searchable. That's not the problem with child porn.

    The problem with child porn is real children are being really abused to make it.

    Making it "not searchable" doesn't stop that. Arresting the people who are making it does.

    1. Re:What is the point of this? by ebno-10db · · Score: 5, Insightful

      True, which means this isn't a solution. It is about as much as a search engine can do though, so it's to Google's credit.

    2. Re:What is the point of this? by ebno-10db · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Realistically this is just a feel good effort. No one is going to seriously criticize Google for this, and they can say "we're doing our part". Not that their part really helps anything, but that's not Google's fault.

      So that makes one wonder what Google's real motives are.

      Good PR. I'm as cynical as the next person, but PR is often the only motive for these things. If they had a sinister motive, they'd just offer to help the NSA some more.