Google has removed a controversial photo of Michelle Obama from Google Image Search results. The site, however, remains listed in Google web search results without any visible malware warning.

It began last week, when Search Engine Roundtable pointed out a racist image showing as the number one result in Google Image Search for the term [Michelle Obama]. The image was apparently removed yesterday.

Google has now bought its own ad space to write an appology .Google’s ad, shown above, leads searchers to http://www.google.com/resultsinfo.html, which apologizes to users who’ve “had an upsetting experience using Google,” and explains the company’s policy on offensive content:

“Sometimes Google search results from the Internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries. We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google.

Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Internet. A site’s ranking in Google’s search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page’s relevance to a given query.

The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, as well as the opinions of the general public, do not determine or impact our search results.”

Note that if you don’t see the image, you may have your “SafeSearch” settings switched to off. Oddly, it only appears when you use the Moderate or Strict SafeSearch options. Look for your settings underneath the search box.