This is not the first time when we’ve heard that Google manipulates search results. There so many instances when Silicon Valley’s darling has been accused of manipulating search results. Instead of being a modest information provider, the search engine giant influences ranking based on whoever pays more. And, well, we aren’t the only one saying this. You can use Google’s “Google Search” and you’ll easily come across hundreds of research papers that suggest the same.
Merely a few days ago, Facebook was dragged into a political controversy for downplaying the news conservatives are interested in. Now it’s time when Sundar Pichai’s company takes the center position in the heated Google supports Hillary controversy.
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A video uploaded by SourceFed on the YouTube is responsible for causing this uproar. It reportedly fetched more than 15M views on Facebook and almost 300,000 views on YouTube on Friday evening. The video clearly demonstrated that Google manipulates search results. The feature ‘AUTOCOMPLETE’ suppresses all the searches that pair Hillary Clinton with criminal activities. Critics are now strongly accusing Google of purposefully favoring Clinton and manipulating search results in her favor.
Type “Hillary Clinton ind” or “Hillary Clinton cri” and you’ll see what the entire havoc is all about. Terms like “Indictment”, “Crime”, and “Criminal” among many others are kept hidden from searches related to Hillary Clinton on Google.
We’ve collected some examples for you:
SEARCH FOR HILLARY CLINTON ON GOOGLE VS BING
1. Hillary Clinton Vin As Seen on Google
This is a screenshot taken on Google’s website where you’ll notice that when you type “Hillary Clinton Vin”, you’ll receive the options such as Hillary Clinton Vine, Hillary Clinton Vine Tumblr, etc.
1. Hillary Clinton Vin As Seen on Bing
This is a screenshot taken on Bing where you’ll notice that when you type “Hillary Clinton Vin”, you’ll receive the options such as Hillary Clinton Vince Foster, Hillary Clinton Vindictive, Hillary Clinton Foster Murder, etc.
2. Hillary Clinton Un As Seen on Google
This is a screenshot taken on Google’s website where you’ll notice that when you type “Hillary Clinton Un”, you’ll receive the options such as Hillary Clinton University, Hillary Clinton Universal Health Care, etc.
2. Hillary Clinton Un As Seen on Bing
This is a screenshot taken on Bing where you’ll notice that when you type “Hillary Clinton Un”, you’ll receive the options such as Hillary Clinton Undercover, Hillary Clinton Unlikable, etc.
3. Hillary Clinton Anti As Seen on Google
This is a screenshot taken on Google’s website where you’ll notice that when you type “Hillary Clinton Anti”, you’ll receive the options such as Hillary Clinton Anti Obama ad, etc.
3. Hillary Clinton Anti As Seen on Bing
This is a screenshot taken on Bing where you’ll notice that when you type “Hillary Clinton Anti”, you’ll receive the options such as Hillary Clinton antichrist, Hillary Clinton Semitic, etc.
The search engine behemoth defended itself against accusations that show that Google manipulates search results. On the issue whether Google favors Hillary, an official spokesperson from Google denied all the allegations on Friday.
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“Google Autocomplete does not favor any candidate or cause. Our Autocomplete algorithm will not show a predicted query that is offensive or disparaging when displayed in conjunction with a person’s name.”
So what do you think? Google favors Hillary? Or is it mere a coincidence?