Google’s search engine is getting an upgrade—yes with AI, but also with a blur filter. In a bid to shield its user’s eyes, Google announced yesterday that it will blur explicit images in search results, even when SafeSearch isn’t turned on.
The news comes in a blog post published by Google Senior Vice President of Core Systems & Experiences, Jen Fitzpatrick. While SafeSearch already filters out unsavory results for users that are logged in and under the age of 18, the blur setting will apply to explicit search results even when SafeSearch is turned off. According to the post, the feature will give searchers the option to view the image, but with the warning that it may contain explicit content. Fitzpatrick says that users can opt out of this feature in their SafeSearch settings.
[…]
This is actually not Google’s first time flirting with blurring potentially sensitive content. In December, the company announced that Magritte, a similar blurring tool, was going open source. Magritte won’t blur entire images necessarily, but can blur certain parts of images, like faces and license plates.
Source: Google Will Blur Explicit Images Even When SafeSearch Is Turned Off
Really? Americans can’t handle naked bodies so much that they need to blur it for adults?
Robin Edgar
Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft