Google searches may not be as autonomous as you think. In reality, it appears the platform feeds users a carefully curated narrative based on the information the company does – and does not – want them to see.
On this week’s episode of CensorTrack with Paiten, I dived into the nefarious world of Google search bias.
Google is the king of search engines. More than 90 percent of all internet searches take place on Google, according to Business Insider.
Here’s another important number: Less than 1 percent of Googlers click beyond the first page of search results. For most people, the second page might as well not exist.
MRC Free Speech America decided to test the company's search neutrality. We conducted a series of studies testing the search ranking of Democratic and Republican campaign websites ahead of the 2022 midterms.
In those studies, we found that Google search results repeatedly suppressed Republican campaign websites.
Our first study found Google buried 10 of 12 Senate GOP candidates’ campaign websites while highlighting their opponents’ campaign sites in organic search results.
MRC Free Speech America researchers found Google also buried candidates who have aggressively acted against Big Tech, either legislatively or vocally. Seven of the 10 candidates did not even appear on the first page of results.
MRC’s results aligned with research on Google’s treatment of the 2022 midterm elections from prominent Google researcher and critic Dr. Robert Epstein. In an op-ed for The Daily Caller, he wrote that his team discovered “a high level of liberal bias in Google search results” in swing states ahead of the 2022 U.S. elections.
Epstein has repeatedly warned that Google's attempts to shift opinion and voting preferences could impact elections. He wrote, “Search results that favor one candidate … can shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by up to 80 percent in some demographic groups after a single search.”
As Tuesday’s election ebbs into the past, Google’s partisan bias remains a serious problem. It is time to hold Google accountable.
We must call on Big Tech companies like Google to mirror the First Amendment, and provide transparency, clarity on so-called “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives.
To stay updated on free speech news and to help hold Big Tech accountable, visit CensorTrack and follow MRC Free Speech America’s social media channels:
Also, check out some of our previous episodes:
- A 'Threat' to Free Speech: Media Meltdown Over Musk-Twitter Deal
- Meta Exec Claims Neutrality, Says Congress Should ‘Set’ Speech Rules
- Caving to Leftist Pressure? Big Tech Vows to Censor So-Called Election ‘Misinformation’
- And more!
Conservatives are under attack. If you have been censored, contact us at the MRC Free Speech America contact form on CensorTrack.org, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
