Google misidentifies engineer as serial killer

Occurred: June 2021

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Hristo Georgiev, an engineer based in Switzerland, discovered that a Google search of his name returns a photograph of him linked to a Wikipedia entry on a serial killer.

Georgiev believes the error was caused by Google‘s knowledge graph, which generates informational boxes adjacent to its search results, and reckons the algorithm matched his picture to the Wikipedia entry because the now-dead killer shared his name.

Google swiftly removed Georgiev's image from the killer's infobox after the engineer had reported the issue.

Operator: Alphabet/Google  
Developer: Alphabet/Google
Country: Switzerland
Sector: Technology
Purpose: Enhance search engine results
Technology: Knowledge Graph
Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Privacy
Transparency: Governance; Black box

Page info
Type: Incident
Published: June 2021