Google Takes Action to Block Bard Conversations from Being Indexed on Search
Alphabet-owned Google is actively addressing an issue where user conversations with its generative AI assistant, Bard, were accidentally being indexed on its Search platform. The company is now working on a solution to prevent these conversations from appearing as search results. This development comes after an SEO Consultant highlighted the problem on Twitter.
SEO Consultant’s Discovery
The issue was first brought to Google’s attention by an SEO Consultant on Twitter. They pointed out that conversations with Bard were showing up in Google Search results, raising concerns about privacy and data security.
Google’s Response
In response to the SEO Consultant’s tweet, Google’s Search Liaison account on Twitter acknowledged the problem and assured users that they did not intend for these shared chats to be indexed on Google Search. Google is actively working on resolving this issue.
Bard’s Public Link-Sharing Feature
The incident may be linked to Bard’s public link-sharing feature, which was introduced in a recent update. This feature allows users to share their conversations with Bard via public links. However, it appears that these conversations were inadvertently indexed by Google Search.
Clarification on Indexing
Google Research Scientist Peter J Liu clarified that only explicitly shared conversations are being indexed. Conversations that have not been shared publicly are not indexed. This clarification may provide reassurance to Bard users regarding the privacy of their conversations.
Misleading Warning Message
Bard displays a warning message when users opt to share conversations via public links. This message mentions that anyone with the link can view the conversation. However, some users may have interpreted this as meaning that Google Search was the only entity with access to the shared conversations, rather than them being indexed in search results.
Comparison with Microsoft’s ChatGPT
A comparison was drawn with Microsoft’s ChatGPT, which reportedly includes an extra line of code (“robots” content=”noindex,nofollow”) that prevents conversations from being included in search results. This additional measure may explain why accidental indexing is less likely to occur with ChatGPT.
Google’s Ongoing Efforts
While Google is actively working on a solution to prevent Bard conversations from being indexed on Search, it’s worth noting that Bard’s update history page does not contain any entries related to this issue. Nonetheless, Google’s commitment to addressing this matter underscores the company’s dedication to user privacy and data security.
Conclusion
The accidental indexing of Google Bard conversations on Google Search has prompted swift action from Google to rectify the situation. Users can expect further updates and enhancements to Bard’s privacy features as the company continues to refine its generative AI assistant.
