Extra steps now needed to convert ringgit on Google
Published on: Friday, March 22, 2024
By:
FMT, Mikha Chan
Searches for conversions to and from the ringgit now only result in a list of currency conversion websites.
PETALING JAYA: Google’s currency conversion widget for the ringgit is no longer immediately accessible to the search engine’s users.
FMT’s checks today found that the widget does not come up automatically when searches are entered for currency conversions to or from the ringgit, though it does for other currencies.
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A search for “23 USD to AUD”, for example, brings up the widget and the converted figure immediately at the top of the page.
A search for “23 USD to MYR”, however, results only in a list of currency conversion websites, with the search engine apparently pushing the task of conversion to its sources.
The same goes for searches such as “USD-MYR conversion rate”.
However, the widget itself, if brought up through other currency conversions, can still be used to convert to and from the ringgit, as it is still selectable from the widget’s dropdown menu for currencies.
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The search engine giant recently got in trouble with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) for its “inaccurate” reporting of the ringgit exchange rate against the US dollar last Friday.
The central bank said the exchange rate of RM4.98 to US$1 as quoted by Google did not reflect the actual trading, and that it would engage Google for an explanation and the corrective measures taken.
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“This is a recurring issue that has afflicted Malaysia and other countries in the past few months,” BNM had said in a statement, adding that it had issued the company a “stern” warning letter for the first incident of misreporting on Feb 6.
“The exchange rate is a market-sensitive data and any inaccurate reporting and circulation of unverified data can cause serious implications on financial markets,” BNM said.
FMT has reached out to Google for comment on the matter.
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