Web design & marketing tips by Ironpaper

Rumors make auto-complete a legal issue

Written by Ironpaper | Sep 9, 2012 2:59:14 PM

Google is once again in trouble for it's auto-complete technology. As users search within Google, a drop down may be invoked to help the user complete their search by offering other popular searches conducted by users. This suggestion tool has been the subject of legal debate for the search engine.

Most recently, Bettina Wulff ( wife of the country’s former president, Christian Wulff ) is suing Google due to the fact that autocomplete offers prostitution-related keyphrases.

When searching for Bettina Wulff, both the US and German websites offer “escort” and “prostitute” as autocomplete suggestions.

In France, Google has lost similar lawsuits twice. Google also lost an autocomplete legal case in Italy, and settled with a hotel in Ireland.