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How Google Alters Search Queries to Get at Your Wallet - WIRED (www.wired.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from [email protected]

Google may be altering billions of search queries daily to generate results that increase purchases.

Testimony in an antitrust case revealed an internal Google slide about changes to its search algorithm, involving "semantic matching" to generate more commercial results.

Google covertly changes user queries, substituting them with ones that generate more revenue for the company and display shopping-oriented results.

This manipulation benefits Google's profits but harms search quality and raises advertiser costs.

Despite legal challenges, Google's market dominance allows it to continue these practices, impacting users' ability to access unbiased information.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think it's appropriate in terms of product review searches.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But what is an unbiased result? What does that look like?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Reviews that don't involve affiliate links or products provided by the company.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

How do you weight the different reviews that meet this criteria? Plenty of reviews don't involve either.

At some point you have to pick and choose. If it's "truly" random, then the search is meaningless. If it's curated/weighted, then it's biased.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

The challenge is in elevating outright paid sponsorship and affiliate material above actual reviews.