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Google accused of manipulating Search to favor big business, skirt controversy
June 03, 2025
A new report fromThe Wall Street Journalthrows some serious accusations down at Google’s feet. Allegedly, the company employs methods to enable Google Search manipulation which directs search results towards big businesses while masking controversial subjects.
In a statement responding to the report, Google denies the allegations.
The first accusation regarding Google Search manipulation has to do with when users search for topics related to businesses. According toThe WSJ’sresearch, sometimes Google’s search algorithm will prioritize big businesses over smaller ones, which of course could be problematic from an anti-trust standpoint.
Related:Google Search now directly displays relevant moments from YouTube content
In fact, both Amazon and Google (as well as Facebook and Apple) areunder regulatory scrutiny at the momentrelated to Big Tech’s effects on smaller businesses.
The second accusation in the report related to Google Search manipulation alleges that Google’s autofill feature purposefully avoids sensitive or controversial topics, such as abortion or immigration.
Google’s statement in response to the report is below (viaBusiness Insider):
Although the company categorically denies these Google Search manipulation allegations, accusations such as these have been common throughout the years. Until Google figures out a way to be more transparent about how its algorithms work without giving away the “secret sauce,” there will likely continue to be more accusations in the future.
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