Online search engine auto-completions make it faster for users to search and access information. However, they also have the potential to reinforce and promote stereotypes and negative opinions about a variety of social groups. We study the characteristics of search auto-completions in two different linguistic and cultural contexts: Baidu and Google. We find differences between the two search engines in the way they suppress or modify original queries, and we highlight a concerning presence of negative suggestions across all social groups. Our study highlights the need for more refined, culturally sensitive moderation strategies in current language technologies.

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