Technology
Apple browser Safari suggesting conspiracy theories, BuzzFeed reports
-
Apple has removed suggested search results from Safari
after it pointed BuzzFeed to websites containing debunked
conspiracy theories. -
The “Siri Suggested Websites” autocompletes a search
and recommends a website or a video for the user to click
on. -
It took BuzzFeed to a Holocaust denier page and video
results on the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Apple has removed a bunch of suggested search results from Safari
after its web browser pointed users to websites containing
debunked conspiracy theories, such as the Holocaust being faked.
BuzzFeed discovered that Safari
was surfacing questionable results through its “Siri Suggested
Websites,” which autocompletes a search and recommends a
website or a video for the user to click on.
It is a problem that has plagued Google, which offers
autocompleted search results that at times point users to
inappropriate content from around the web.
BuzzFeed keyed in a number of popular conspiracy theories and
found that Siri Suggested Websites offered to take it to sites or
YouTube videos containing questionable information.
Search terms that delivered dodgy results included “the Holocaust
didn’t happen,” which suggested a Holocaust denier page on
666ismoney.com, and “QAnon is real,” which suggested a YouTube
video titled “The Calm Before the Storm – QAnon Is the Real
Deal.”
An Apple spokesman pointed Business Insider to a statement it
provided BuzzFeed, in which it said it had removed the bad
results from Safari. Here’s the statement in full:
“Siri Suggested Websites come from content on the web and we
provide curation to help avoid inappropriate sites. We also
remove any inappropriate suggestions whenever we become aware of
them, as we have with these. We will continue to work to provide
high-quality results and users can email results they feel are
inappropriate to [email protected].”
-
Entertainment6 days ago
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 ending explained: Who killed Sazz and why?
-
Entertainment7 days ago
Polling 101: Weighting, probability panels, recall votes, and reaching people by mail
-
Entertainment6 days ago
5 Dyson Supersonic dupes worth the hype in 2024
-
Entertainment5 days ago
When will we have 2024 election results online?
-
Entertainment4 days ago
Halloween 2024: Weekend debates, obscure memes, and a legacy of racism
-
Entertainment5 days ago
Social media drives toxic fandom. Is there a solution?
-
Entertainment4 days ago
Is ‘The Substance’ streaming? How to watch at home
-
Entertainment4 days ago
M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: What are the differences?