Google is looking to point extremist searches towards anti-ISIS websites instead
You can tell a lot about a person by what they search for online. In fact, if you’re Google, you might even be able to tell if someone was a potential terrorist. Whether they’re just looking to troll or actually looking to deter terrorist interest, Google is reportedly experimenting with a new pilot program that will forward “extremist” searches to anti-ISIS websites instead. Pretty damn funny if you think about it.
The initiative is actually aimed at countering the influence of groups like ISIS who frequently use websites, blogs, and social media online to broadcast their hate and sometimes even recruit new members. This would actually work alongside another pilot that looks to make counter-radicalization videos on YouTube easier to find.
Google’s senior manager for public policy Anthony House was joined by Twitter and Facebook at a home affairs select committee hearing that looks to counter extremism. House explained it as such:
“We should get the bad stuff down, but it’s also extremely important that people are able to find good information, that when people are feeling isolated, that when they go online, they find a community of hope, not a community of harm.”
Sounds like a great idea to us.