Google Rethinking Search Queries After 'Did Holocaust Happen' Results Feature Denial Sites

Following a report that claimed a Google search for the Holocaust surfaced results denying the horrific event ever happened, Google is rethinking the way it responds to search queries to generate better results, according to a report from the BBC.

“This is a really challenging problem, and something we're thinking deeply about in terms of how we can do a better job," a Google spokesman told the BBC. "Search is a reflection of the content that exists on the web. The fact that hate sites may appear in search results in no way means that Google endorses these views."

The initial report from the Guardian found a search for the question “Did the Holocaust really happen?” yielded hits from sites claiming the tragedy was a hoax. Top results included a Wikipedia entry on Holocaust denialism, an anti-Semitic site and a site for white supremacists.

The rankings have since changed for Google users in the United States, though it may be in part thanks to efforts from third party actors who have worked to bump the hate sites off the top of the results list.

While it’s unlikely Google is intentionally promoting falsehoods or hate speech, it’s possible the results appeared so prominently because the sites promoting the conspiracy theories were able to game Google’s algorithm and push themselves to the top.

The problem wasn’t only present in searches for information about the Holocaust. Results for queries like "are women evil?" and "are Muslims bad?" also produced responses that stemmed from bigoted viewpoints.

In one instance, a search asking "are black people smart?" produced a featured snippet—the pop out text about the linked results that attempts to provide relevant text without requiring a click—that promoted the view that black people are inherently less intelligent than other races.

Exacerbating the need for Google to provide accurate information is the rise in trust placed on the platform. According to a report from Ofcom, 30 percent of 12 to 15-year-olds are turning to Google for “true and accurate information about things that are going on in the world."

A survey conducted earlier this year by U.S. public relations firm Edelman found 63 percent of people trusted search engines for news and information—a full 10 percent higher than the trust given to online-only publications.