Google illegally ‘identifies rape victims’ in searches for attackers
Victims' identities must be kept secret by law but Google's 'related search' function could be revealing the names of victims alongside their attackers
THE identity of rape victims can be found on Google, it was claimed last night.
When an attacker’s name is typed into the search engine, the name of their victim — which must be anonymous by law — is often automatically shown too, according to The Times.
Google’s “related search” and “autocomplete” functions help users search for information related to their queries — which means it could inadvertently reveal information about victims.
Google’s software records these searches, and then reportedly ends up suggesting victims’ names to other internet users.
Fay Maxted, chief executive of rape charity the Survivors Trust, said the claims were “beyond shocking”. The Times said it found four examples of victims — two rape victims, a sexual abuse victim, and a violent crime case — whose IDs were revealed by Google.
But a Google spokeswoman said: “We don’t allow these kinds of autocomplete predictions or related searches that violate laws or our own policies and we have removed the examples we’ve been made aware of in this case.”