Twitter goes berserk as Narendra Modi’s photo features in the list of ‘top 10 criminals’ on Google image search

Source: Google
Saket Parekar Saket Parekar folomojo staff

Google searches often lead to some unexpected surprises. BJP supporters were in for an unpleasant one on Wednesday as they found out that searching ‘top 10 criminals’ on Google images throws up Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, not once, but thrice in the first 10 photos.

Source: IANS

The top images in the search include notorious criminals like Dawood Ibrahim, Al Capone and Joseph Kony. Spotting Modi’s picture alongside these names was a shocking experience for many, who went on a rant against Google.

Those hurt, and evidently unaware of how Google search works, even went on to suggest that it was a conspiracy against the BJP leader.

Predictably enough, supporters of Congress and those opposed to Modi in general also jumped on the opportunity to take a jibe at BJP.

Anyone who has spent a reasonable amount of time on the internet and is equipped with logical reasoning can tell you that these results are based on tags, keywords and other metadata associated with articles, blogs and photo galleries involving these names.

In other words, if you search your own name on Google images and it throws up the photo of a pig, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a pig.

Scrolling down in the same search results, you can spot several other famous faces such as that of Shannon and Seema, the lesbian couple of Indian origin who got married in the US in 2013, Bill Gates, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Will Smith, Akshay Kumar etc.

Although none of these celebrities are convicted criminals, their photos are still likely to pop up in similar search results if they have been used or mentioned in news reports and blog posts tagged under crime, law and order, violence and so on.

For instance, one of the Modi images that pops up in the results can be sourced back to a 2014 DNA article titled, ‘Will ask SC to set up special courts to deal with politicians with criminal backgrounds: Narendra Modi’

What BJP supporters don’t realise is that their rage and further online debate on this topic will probably make things worse. The appearance of the word ‘criminal’ in more conversations involving Modi will only increase the likelihood of more photos of his popping up in similar search results.

But since logic often evades Twitter trends, #Top10Criminals was one of the top trending topics on the internet on Wednesday. And here are a few more notable reactions we came across under the hashtag.

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