Twitter removes algorithm blunder linking Trump to searches for 'asshole’ and ‘tiny hands'
Critical Twitter users have inadvertently upended Twitter’s search algorithm by subverting the recommendations tool to proffer up president Trump's personal account in searches for ‘asshole’, ‘tiny hands’ and ‘racist'.
Twitter has yet to formally issue a response to the association, but it already appears to have taken steps to manually remove Trump’s profile from association with negative search terms.
The pejorative terms and their prominent target were first stumbled upon by Twitter user Greg Jenner, a historian who co-hosts Inside Versailles, who tweeted: “Haha, type 'asshole' into Twitter's search bar. Do it.“
Haha, type "asshole" into Twitter's search bar. Do it.
— Greg Jenner (@greg_jenner) January 26, 2017
It is believed that the negative connotations derive from the volume of tweets mentioning Trump alongside the critical terms, cementing the association in the mind of Twitter’s algorithms, rather than any conscious foul play.
Whether Twitter remains the president’s favourite social media platform, having also assumed control of the @potus handle, in the wake of the discovery remains to be seen.