'Profoundly Disturbing' YouTube Autocomplete Search Results Include Pedophiliac Statements
Autocomplete searches on YouTube have been found to include disturbing results such as sexual activity with children.
Several users have called out YouTube for their autocomplete searches including "how to have" sexual intercourse with children on the website, Buzzfeed confirmed. The publication tested the autocomplete search results of YouTube on multiple devices using an incognito browser.
Each attempt, regardless of the device's browser history, yielded the same set of autocomplete search suggestions. The search results included phrases such as "how to have s*x with your kids" and "how to have s*x kids," as seen from the screenshots of YouTube's page.
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A spokesperson for YouTube has addressed the issue and said that they are investigating the cause of the pedophiliac search results.
"Earlier today our teams were alerted to this awful autocomplete result and we worked to quickly remove it. We are investigating this matter to determine what was behind the appearance of this autocompletion," the rep explained.
It was suggested by some on Twitter that the pedophiliac automated search results on YouTube could be a campaign to troll the video-sharing website. It's possible that a group of people purposely searched the phrase "how to have s*x with your kids" to make it appear as a popular search on YouTube.
A source knowledgeable with the algorithms used by YouTube shared that the use of the asterisk in the search phrase is similar to coordinated campaigns to increase the popularity of ill searches.
YouTube has taken down the pedophiliac autocomplete searches on their website. Daily Mail attempted to test the autocomplete search results, and none of the inappropriate phrases surfaced.
Unfortunately, several companies have pulled out of advertising through YouTube since the pedophiliac searches came to light. Lidl, Mars, Adidas, and Cadbury maker Mondelez, Diageo left YouTube when an investigation discovered the video-sharing site containing clips of almost unclothed children.
