Now compare to today's -10 August 2009- search results (same terms):
See the difference? It turns that Google is filtering results -as it does in China- moving down in searches or altogether disappearing, presumably for a fee, negative coverage or keywords associated with certain names. Is meant to be called online reputation management.
Now, I am perfectly aware of how easy it is to move results up and down Google rank, having done it for years, simply by creating Google-friendly pages with keywords and content specifically related to terms/issues about which one wants one's pages to appear on top. I also understand that governments or companies may see the merits of spending money in online reputation management services. What I don't get is how come Google is allowing itself to be used for the very questionable purpose of safeguarding the online reputation of regimes that are in bed with narco-terrorists. For this is not the first instance in which I have noticed how Google has completely disappeared results from sites that appeared in the first page results that depict Chavez, or his henchmen, in a critical light.
Bear that in mind next time you're using Google, and as a measure of balance, always run searches with Google's competitors, such as Yahoo or Bing. The differences may be surprising.
2 comments:
Google is a large company that is concerned with profits, as are all companies, to different extents. I highly doubt that Google is consciously putting an effort to "safeguard the online reputation" of Chavez. Taking the 'google' results from two different dates does not prove anything. Thousands of new articles are posted to the internet daily. If you want to prove this theory of yours, I suggest you stick to the good 'ol Scientific Method, if you want to hold any sway.
Well the contents of this article have railed the odd fanatic chavistas. First I get an email from Justin take-advantage-of-ill-women Delacour. Now a comment from some freak, advising me to stick to the good ol Scientific Method.
Pray tell Green Flea, what method should I follow, the same one employed by Chomsky and the rest of the self appointed experts that, according to HRW, are nothing but peddlers of "baseless allegations"?
Thing is, this is not an isolated case, I got more proof that Google has been messing about actively with search results. I know thousands of articles are published everyday, but not so many with the specific keywords and content that I am talking about.
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