Google explains racist advertisements

Internet giant Google has explained why some if its advertisements have appeared to support racist and anti-Semitic causes.

“Sometimes Google search results from the internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries,” the US search giant said in its own advertisement. “We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google.”

The company said it will remove pages from search results if they breach the company’s guidelines, but also said it “views the integrity of our search results as an extremely important priority”.

The comments come after some users have pointed out potentially offensive advertisements, including one depicting US first lady Michelle Obama as a monkey. If a user searches for the word “Jew”, the company said, other offensive advertisements have appeared.

“We apologise if you’ve had an upsetting experience using Google,” it added. “We hope you understand our position regarding offensive results.”