Google runs apology ad over racist Obama search results

The Google ad takes the form of a sponsored link and is titled "Offensive Search Results". It has been appearing above results for an image search for US first lady Michelle Obama, after an image which had been tampered with to make her resemble a monkey began appearing high in ther results.

In its statement, Google explains that search results for innocuous enquiries can include disturbing content, which the company does not endorse. However, it adds its policy does not allow it to remove pages simply because they are "unpopular."

The copy states: "Individual citizens and public interest groups do periodically urge us to remove particular links or otherwise adjust search results.

"Although Google reserves the right to address such requests individually, Google views the integrity of our search results as an extremely important priority.

"Accordingly, we do not remove a page from our search results simply because its content is unpopular or because we receive complaints concerning it."

It is not the first time Google has run such an ad. In 2004 it took a similar decision when a search for the word Jew produced an anti-Semitic site as the top result.