Internet | 26 Nov 2009 :
Google has placed an ad on its own site explaining why it won't remove a 'disturbing' picture of Michelle Obama.
A Google Images search for "Michelle Obama" produces a mocked-up picture of the First Lady's face being morphed into a chimpanzee as the first result.
Google reportedly removed the image last week on the grounds that the site hosting it was distributing malware. Now it's returned, alongside a Google ad explaining why the company won't be taking it down.
"Sometimes Google search results from the Internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries," the Google ad explains. "We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google."
"Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the internet. A site's ranking in Google's search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page's relevance to a given query."