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Google image search currently blocking explicit content

Reports are filing in on the web — and The Verge has confirmed in our own cross-browser searches — that explicit content is currently being blocked by default for Google image search in the US and UK, even for users who have Safe Search turned off. The issue could be related to a change to Safe Search; in a Google Groups thread discussing the change to the filtering option, a Google representative says that "the change doesn't prevent anyone from getting to the content they want to see," and that "if you search for explicit content, you'll be able to find it" — but only with the right query. As of now, queries that would normally return explicit results in image search are mostly returning safe, filtered results, suggesting that Google's change now requires users to be more specific when requesting explicit content.

Previously, users could select from three levels of search filtration with a Safe Search drop-down menu: "strict" filtering (no explicit content), "moderate" filtering, or no filtering. Now, users are allowed simply to toggle Safe Search on or off. The old functionality is still present in Google's international sites (like Google's German image search site, for example), and searches on those sites are still returning explicit results when Safe Search is deactivated.

We've reached out to Google to comment on the situation and will update you as soon as possible.

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pron wrote: They'll take my porn when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.

pron wrote: They'll take my porn when they pry it from my cold, dead hands.