Karnataka government on June 3 issued a legal notice to Google after Kannada popped up as a search result for the ‘ugliest language in India’.
When Google came to know about the matter, it immediately issued an apology and fixed the search; condemning the incident clarified that the search result did not reflect its opinion.
In a press meet, Aravind Limbavali, Minister for Culture and Forests in YS Yeddyurappa cabinet, said that a “legal notice will be served to Google for showing such an answer.” Then, taking to Twitter, he expressed his outrage and demanded an apology from Google.
The Kannada language has a history of as many as 2,500 long years, said the minister adding the language had been the pride of Kannadigas through the years.
Furthermore, the minister added that showing the Kannada language in poor light… “is utterly an attempt by Google to insult the pride of the Kannadiga community. I demand an apology from @Google to Kannadigas as soon as possible. Legal action will be initiated against Google for vilifying the image of our beautiful language.”
“The search is not always perfect,” clarified a Google spokesperson. “Sometimes the way content is described on the internet can deliver surprising results to particular queries.”
“Although we know this is not ideal, we take swift corrective action once we are made aware of an issue and are consistently working to enhance our algorithms,” he further added. “These are generally not reflective of the opinions of Google, and we apologise for the misunderstanding and hurting sentiments of people.”
Google has been criticised and slammed by journalists, actors, and activists over this incident.
