Search engine giant Google has revealed that it will now automatically blur images it deems »explicit« in its search results by default.
The world’s leading search engine has announced the change as part of its Safer Internet Day event, calling the default setting »a new online safety feature«.
Launching in the coming months, the new default setting will be activated for all users and according to the magazine The Verge »will automatically blur explicit images that appear in search results, even for users who don’t have SafeSearch enabled.«
The Verge went on to explain that SafeSearch, »is already the default for signed-in users under the age of 18, as it helps to filter out explicit content such as pornography, violence and gore when using Google to search for images, videos and websites.«
A Google spokeswoman, Charity Mhende, commented to the tech news publication: »Unless your account is supervised by a parent, school, or administrator, you will be able to change your SafeSearch setting at any time.«
So while it will be possible for unsupervised users to disable SafeSearch altogether the step will sanitize the Internet even more. And as most people don’t bother to change the default settings, sexuality and free expression of ertoticism will furthermore be suppressed and banned from everyday life.