Comment 32 for bug 1054282

it is unfortunate that the first network service provider integrated into the home lens doesn't offer a safe search feature as part of their search API. But it is what it is. The reality is that this is a deeply problematic part of the user - network search provider - interaction generally. Most search providers have not deemed it in their best interest to provide safe search options for their searches.

Given the state of search provider standards, its not really surprising that this issue has cropped up so quickly. But it does stress the importance of giving users control over how the home lens works.... by default. Deeply integrating unfiltered search results from search providers is garunteed to be problematic with enough users to make the home lens integrated search funtionality undesirable in key consumer demographics.

The design of the home lens interaction must put the user in control over what search providers are contacted by default. Search providers, who do not implement safe search in their API, most not be allowed to populate the home lens by default. The home lens is best kept opt-in and controllable by the local system administrator (both in home and in business settings). When the content itself cannot be filtered, the vendors who are trusted to provide that searchable content must be controlled by the local admin. Sometimes that's a parent, sometime thats a business IT person, sometimes its a school lab manager, sometimes its just the end user themselves. Allowing search providers to inject search results without requiring them to filter by default is irresponsible and inconsiderate to the subjective and individualistic needs of the users (whether that be the home, a school setting or in a business environment). The default home lens interaction design must change to give control back to users and admins to ensure users have a positive emotional response with the search feature for as many users as possible, even if that means disabling the deep default integration. The integration by default contradicts the concept of least surprise and will undoubtably cause problems for users and admins, especially when it comes to computer interactions with children.

Google's efforts with regard to integrated safe-search stand out starkly as the exception instead of the rule of search providers when it comes to efforts to provide family and workplace safe search content. If Canonical cannot provide a safe-search filter on par with Google, then Canonical should not be integrating search into their default product UI until such time that search provider partner can be found who understands how to deal with this.