Despite companies like Facebook or Google attempting to take a crack at curbing the amount of fake news circulating across the internet, the problem remains inherently endemic to the web. Because of this, Google’s own smart speaker — the Google Home — recently found itself pulling fake news clips when users asked it questions concerning former president Barack Obama and an alleged plan to start a coup. By turning to its bot-assisted Featured Snippets, the Google Home inadvertently read a short paragraph from a less-than-credible site claiming Obama intended to overthrow the United States government at the conclusion of his 2016 presidential term.

In this case, the story came from an unreliable third-party site that was not exactly vetted by human curators. However, Google did tell Recode that while its Featured Snippets do generate by way of algorithms, it does investigate any story flagged for having “inappropriate or misleading content.” Concerning the story about the alleged coup, Google took the story down as quickly as it could after debunking it.

“Featured Snippets in Search provide an automatic and algorithmic match to a given search query, and the content comes from third-party sites,” Google wrote to Recode. “Unfortunately, there are instances when we feature a site with inappropriate or misleading content. When we are alerted to a Featured Snippet that violates our policies, we work quickly to remove them, which we have done in this instance. We apologize for any offense this may have caused.”

Specifically, the question a Google Home user asked was, “is Obama planning a coup?” After diving into Featured Snippets, the Home replied, “not only could Obama be in bed with the Communist Chinese, but Obama may in fact be planning a Communist coup d’etat at the end of his term in 2016!” Due in part to the fact Google’s Featured Snippet algorithm scans unvetted — and sometimes unreliable — sources, the Home reading a story deemed “fake news” stands to happen on occasion. Despite this tendency for fake news, a digital marketing consultant told The Outline people actually respond positively to quickly read headlines.

“It’s having a very good impact on the search results. People love them,” Stone Temple Consulting CEO Eric Enge told The Outline.

But is it smart to leave the vetting process of automatically curated stories up to the public? While Google continues to tinker with its Featured Snippet aspect, perhaps. What this does immediately prove, however, is anything shared by Google Home (when it dips into Featured Snippets) should be taken with a grain of salt.

Related Posts

Get 50% off this SimpliSafe 8-piece wireless home security system

If “I should really get a security system” has been sitting on your mental to-do list for a while, this SimpliSafe deal makes it much easier to finally check that box. The SimpliSafe 8 Piece Wireless Home Security System is down to $119.99, which is 50% off the usual $239.99 price. You get a full starter kit from one of the best-known DIY security brands, without signing a long-term contract.

Save 20% on the Honeywell Sunturalux LED desk lamp with USB charging

Good lighting can quietly make a big difference in how you work, read, or study—especially if you’re staring at screens for hours. The Honeywell Sunturalux™ LED Desk Lamp (HWT-H01) is designed with that in mind: soft, adjustable light, a compact foldable design, and a couple of USB ports to keep your devices topped up.

Save 24% on this high-capacity Energy Star dehumidifier for spaces up to 4,500 sq. ft.

If your basement smells musty, your bathroom never quite dries out, or your whole home just feels sticky in humid weather, a small dehumidifier usually won’t cut it. This 4,500 sq. ft., Energy Star–rated dehumidifier is built for exactly those tougher jobs, and it’s currently on Black Friday sale for $227.98, down from $299.99—a 24% savings on a serious moisture-control upgrade.