Yahoo Shortcuts automatically finds and underlines interesting items in articles and provides additional information via a pop up window (Yahoo Shortcuts also refers to shortcuts in Yahoo Search for common things like travel search). “People, places, organizations, and other things of interest are underlined,” says the FAQ.
One blogger is pointing out, though, that the tool may be going a little too far - by, for example, linking the term “underage girl” in a recent article about Ashley Dupre, the prostitute that led to the downfall of Eliot Spitzer. The Yahoo Shortcut helpfully links to a set of flickr pictures of underage women.
This is probably a term that you want to add to the blacklist, Yahoo.
Update: Per the comments below, Yahoo has removed the term from Shortcuts.
I’d say that’s a step above Yahoo’s ads with dead hookers in them:
http://www.brianalvey.com/news.....rs-beware/
nice. a good post should’ve included a link to featured videos on google search results as well. enjoy - http://www.google.com/search?q=underage+girls
@Brian
How is that a dead hooker? I’ve never spoken too, come into contact with, used, nor seen a dead hooker floating in a pool, so maybe you can fill me in…
Michael, there are already enough no. of child protectors around the world. You need not join them.
- Predator
well they can’t get them all correct the first time. I’m sure this will land on some “Easter Egg” list somewhere and the comments on here should be entertaining!
I shouldn’t laugh, but that is so funny.
What differecne does it make. They are just a spider and provide a list of links. Not their fault people are searching for that kind of stuff.
JT
http://www.ULtimate-Anonymity.com
@Paul
Agreed. It is totally inappropriate but I found it rather hilarious.
Some one tags photos with “underage girl” on flickr. And yahoo picks that up and shows it. And tech crunch had the find of millennium.
Jas - we’ll, my guess is it’s gone by monday.
Newsletters too!
Funny!, it is true! very inappropiate
Someone should call Chris Hansen
Ashley Dupre is to Eliot Spitzer what
Techcrunch is to Microsoft.
nothing wrong with pictures of underaged girls as long as they are dressed
And who on the techcrunch staff was searching for underage girls?
Was once reading a New York Times article about a classic “Madonna and child” painting. Sure enough, “Madonna” was a keyword link to the Times page devoted to a woman on the All-Overrated Sexpots Team.
As a purveyor of videos of (dressed) underage girls, I welcome Yahoo to this space.
@ Predator- See you around.
Cannot believe Yahoo is doing it. Probably is in error and will be fixed.
@15 …bang on target.
http://www.meetingflex.com
As far as I hear, there is a lot of work going on all the products by Yahoo. Plus with ymail and rocketmail out there, I guess something is going to change for yahoo’s future.
Anyways this one is hilarious.
cool, i got in my laugh for the day
I’ve seen one kinda freaky Yahoo Shortcut myself: new baby for sale:
http://www.ipernity.com/doc/forteller/2062777
Hi Michael-
Thanks for pointing this out to us. Obviously this is not something we endorse and we would like to apologize to the people this offended. We put a lot of effort into our algorithmic and editorial processes to avoid highlighting inappropriate terms in Yahoo! Shortcuts but unfortunately this one slipped through.
We have removed this term from Yahoo! Shortcuts and it is no longer hyperlinked in the article. We’re constantly improving this service and have work underway that will continue to improve the terms which the Yahoo! Shortcuts system highlights.
If folks have further concerns or ideas around this issue please drop us a note at contextual-shortcuts (at) yahoo-inc.com [replace (at) with ‘@’].
- Jon Sweet
Product Manager, Yahoo! Shortcuts
@14: Damn straight. Arrington is indeed spreading it for ballmer when it comes to Yahoo.
Thanks Mike. You just blew the cover on the Yahoo partnership with NBC for an upcoming episode of To Catch a Predator.
This, from the people that brought us “medireview”
Yahoo has consistent put out crap and has consistently violate people’s civil right. Let the fck’n company die. I hate yahoo even though I still use their email to send out threat which the cops have contacted me on. I wonder who gave the cops my emails?!? and address. Yahoo continues to disregard human rights.
Yahoo violates people’s civil rights and disregards human rights? that seems a little over the top.
Michael, what do you expect from someone whose name is the grammatically horrible “Yahoo is crapped”?
Yahoo man what next.