Japan could lose Google’s Autocomplete Functionality

Google’s auto-complete ability built into Google Search can be a very handy little tool for many users. For others, it is being addressed as a breach of privacy. That is what happened in Japan recently. A Japanese court approved a petition by a man in the country who claims Google’s Auto-Complete is violating his privacy. How is that possible?? Apparently when the man types his name into the search it is auto-correcting and linking the results to crimes that he didn’t commit. Should someone, like a potential employer, takes Google’s suggested completion it would be detrimental to the gentleman in question. In actually this exact situation has happened to the man more than once and his “online reputation” is always in question. Google claims that have done nothing wrong, and I am inclined to agree. the search returns what is requested, if an unsuspecting person searches for one thing but takes the auto-complete route when it is wrong to begin with, how is Google to blame?

Seems a bit crazy to me. Similar situations arise all the time when it comes to the search giant. One of the last complaints we heard was from the music industry. Claiming the a Google search returns pirate sites for music. They are trying to get Google to block search returns for such information. While Google returns the fact that they only return results for the most visited sites that match the search criteria of the individual. Which is true. If I search for a torrent, Google better deliver that search request and not take me someplace else. Google seems to be under fire for anything and everything that anyone can blame them for. While the case in Japan doesn’t appear to be a lawsuit, it still has the potential to limit functionality that many others use and enjoy.

Whats even more interesting about the whole situation, is during my search for an appropriate image I cam across the one above. I thought it was perfect for the situation. Apparently there is a big enough issue that there is actually a company that can help you out. They are called internetreputation.com, and provide help to people whose names show up with negative auto-completes and helps move them to positive ones. Maybe people should start taking the time to complete the searches they intend to search out instead of relying on auto-complete entirely. It can be fun to click the first thing that pops up, but be warned, it might not really be what you are looking for.

Source: Uberqizmo