Google has apologised after the Karnataka government threatened to sue the search engine giant for terming Kannada ‘the ugliest language in India.’ The apology from Google came after a massive controversy erupted on social media with demands for strict action against Google gaining momentum.
Netizens were quick to share the screenshots of Google search with keywords’ ugliest language in India’ throwing up controversial results. The result said, “What is the ugliest language in India? The answer is Kannada, a language spoken by around 40 million people in south India.”
Karnataka minister Aravind Limbavali said that his government would take legal action against Google. Limbavali wrote on Twitter, “Kannada language has a history of its own, having come into existence as many as 2,500 years ago! It has been the pride of Kannadigas all through these two-and-a-half millennia”
He added, “If Kannada is now called ugliest language in India, it is merely an attempt by @Google to insult this pride of Kannadigas. Demand apology from
@Google ASAP to Kannada, Kannadigas. Legal action will be taken against @Google for maligning the image of our beautiful language!”
According to news agency PTI, when contacted, a Google spokesperson said, “The search isn’t always perfect. Sometimes, the way content is described on the internet can yield surprising results to specific queries.”
“We know this is not ideal, but we take swift corrective action when we are made aware of an issue and are continually working to improve our algorithms. Naturally, these are not reflective of the opinions of Google, and we apologise for the misunderstanding and hurting any sentiments.”
Google’s global head is an Indian, Sundar Pichai, also a south Indian.
