Is Google racist? Is it altering searches? It might just be an overworked middle-aged white man

A few days ago, twitter user Kabir Alli posted a video of himself doing two searches in Google. The first search for "three black teenagers" revealed mug shots of black teenagers. The second for "three white teenagers" reveals stock images of smiling, happy children. That search result has since then changed to have the mugshots of black teenagers in the search for white teenagers because of the wave of articles written in the wake of the incident.

An article in The Guardian about the incident concluded, "So, is Google racist? No. But society is still racist. Not in the same way as the obvious and profound segregation seen in the US before the civil rights movement. But in more subtle, insidious ways, manifested through advertising, the media, film and policing."

Last week, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange spoke about the links between Hillary Clinton's campaign and Google for a media event titled New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream. He said, "Google is directly engaged with Hillary Clinton's campaign. Google is heavily integrated with Washington power, at personal level and at business level...Google which has increasing control over the distribution channels...is intensely allying itself with the US exceptionalism."

There have also been reports, which Google has denied, that the search engine is altering the search history related to Hillary Clinton. The autocomplete feature does not recognise "Hillary Clinton crimes".

A report in The Verge points out that Google does not do auto-complete "negative" searches for anybody, be they Al Capone or anyone else. A Google representative said that people didn't search the entire name, entering "Hillary X" instead of "Hillary Clinton X".

Whatever the real case might be, a series of videos by American comedy website College Humor suggests that Google might be too busy to be doing any of these things.

"Why am I a length? Cream cheese is cheese?" "Wait, do you still want to know . . . " "Avocado pit huge, why?" "Okay, don't speak in these weird haikus."

Perhaps, that's why it handed over control to the NSA.

"Local mosque, Seattle." "NSA, don't mind me."

"We're celebrating Jackson Pollock, one of the most important painters of all time and you want to know why farts smell."

"Well, hello there, young man."

"Big booty Puerto Rican goddess."

"Siri, show me pictures of the Serengeti."

"Show me pictures of Spaghetti."

And something with which we all might identify.

"Sistine Chapel, how old Michelangelo? 33. Moon landing, how old Neil Armstrong? 38. Became President, how old Barack Obama? 47. Still got three years!"