Google washes search results

The Register ^ | 012/14/2008 | andrew orlowski

[slnk_rules]

Google this week admitted that its staff will pick and choose what appears in its search results. It's a historic statement - and nobody has yet grasped its significance.

Not so very long ago, Google disclaimed responsibility for its search results by explaining that these were chosen by a computer algorithm. The disclaimer lives on at Google News, where we are assured that: The selection and placement of stories on this page were determined automatically by a computer program.

A few years ago, Google's apparently unimpeachable objectivity got some people very excited, and technology utopians began to herald Google as the conduit for a new form of democracy. Google was only too pleased to encourage this view. It explained that its algorithm "relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. "

That Google was impartial was one of the articles of faith. For if Google was ever to be found to be applying subjective human judgment directly on the process, it would be akin to the voting machines being rigged.

For these soothsayers of the Hive Mind, the years ahead looked prosperous. As blog-aware marketing and media consultants, they saw a lucrative future in explaining the New Emergent World Order to the uninitiated. (That part has come true - Web 2.0 "gurus" now advise large media companies).

It wasn't surprising, then, that when five years ago I described how a small, self-selected number of people could rig Google's search results, the reaction from the people doing the rigging was violently antagonistic. Who lifted that rock? they cried.

But what was once Googlewashing by a select few now has Google's active participation.

[KoRn]

/mark

[MIT-Elephant]

I see Google as a sort of modern, technocratic Communism. They started with this belief they were going to be hip and cool and everything corporate America wasn’t.

Then they started releasing these betas and applications where they made the design decisions, and dictated how people would use the web without regard for user preference in a lot of cases. They started to think they were smarter than not just the competition, but the users.

Then they realized they could make loads of money as a result of being special, oligarchic gatekeepers. Then they got in bed with China to censor the Internet (a true partnership with communism).

Now they are admitting they’re simply manipulating their product results from the inside. Now all the talk about the Democracy of the Internet is hollow. The Ministry of Truth lives.

[Fawnn]

Well, I officially love cuil.com now.

Search on: cooking pam

cuil.com CookingWithPam.com is #1

clusty.com CookingWithPam.com is #4, #5

google.com CookingWithPam.com doesn’t even show up in top 10

[FTL]

“Fairness Doctrine” should be rammed down Google’s throat. But of course the “Censorship Doctrine” only applies to Conservatives.

[Las Vegas Ron]

LOL...who’s Pam?

[DoughtyOne]

I like the way they use FoxNews as an example of selective news dissemination.

CNN or the rest of the MSM could be biased could they? LMAO

[Fawnn]

Guess. (Or read my tagline.) ;)

[nufsed]

What do you use?

[Las Vegas Ron]

Got it...at first I was thinking of that stuff you spray on pans, what can I say ;^)

[Fawnn]

That was #2 on cuil, so I beat the big guns there!

(BTW, I’m living proof that “food doesn’t stick to Pam” is false. LOL)

[adorno]

Every pundit, host, and whatever, has an agenda, My listenersihp/viewiership is garnerd, granted, and geared, toward the agenda of the so called “right wing”, because I see the world slipping fast to the left. Am I evil?

Don't misunderstand me. I don't believe that you're evil for having an agenda. I too have an agenda. I'm a conservative and hate what a left-winger stands for.

Where I differ from those that have an agenda is when they feel that it is their agenda that should be aired and that all other agendas should be blocked.

My feeling is that, all voices should be heard, and that it's the public at large that should decide what it is that they read.

I feel that with all viewpoints aired and read, that the electorate will be able to make, hopefully, more informed and better decisions.

[unkus]

**I stopped using Google as first choice search engine months ago — just for this reason.**

---

What search engine do you recommend? I want to wean myself off Google.

[Nateman]

The first few Google results gave prices well over $100.

I've seen that before. Tried to get a user manual for an old printer. The first result was 98$. Digging a little deeper I got down down to 20$. On E-bay I found a CD with needed info: 5$. Google failed me completely!

[3catsanadog]

I'm noticing that so many ads I see on TV include spots that say that for every $$$ a customer spends, the company will donate to a certain charity.

This is what I thought of when reading your post and listening a bit to Devvy. It's almost like everyone is feeling a pressure to do and spend for charitable work.

[Incorrigible]

Here's lots of alternatives to Google offerings:

 

Live Search	A high power alternative to Google
Search and Give	Uses the Live search engine but you can set up an account so that a charity or school of your choosing gets a few cents every time you search!
Clusty Search	This is an alterative that draws from several search engines including Google unfortunately
Live Toolbar	Need a toolbar alternative, use this one
MSN Video	An alternative to YouTube for hosting your uploaded videos
Live Maps	Need driving directions, this will work (Though I'll concede Google has an extra feature that's nice)
Virtual Earth	An excellent 3D mapping program
Live Mail Live Mail Client	Plenty of space for all your email and a nice client for it as well!
Live Spaces	A place to blog, host photos, store files, etc
Photosynth	A very cool way of bringing dimensional perspective to your photographs

Please note that Ask.com and About.com are owned by the New York Times.

 

[WellyP]

http://www.searchengineguide.com/searchengines.html

Search Engines Directory

Internet search engines are categorized by topic in our searchable directory of general and specialty search engines. Also listed are resources and tools for exploring the deep web, performing advanced research, and for learning about using search engine tools and technology.

[Tempest]

disturbing isn’t it, how the try turn us into cattle.

[Dick Bachert]

Posts 34 and 17 in this thread offer alternatives.

[unkus]

Thanks.

[kelleyfurniture]

Hi, can You please state where You got this information that Google is now basically handpicking which websites/stories & news it will display in the Google search results & news results?