Google’s search chief, Elizabeth Reid, testified that the DOJ’s proposed changes to the company’s search practices could “deeply undermine user trust” and slow down innovation in the search industry. This claim comes after the company censored conservatives on its search engine throughout the Trump era — which clearly undermined user trust in the company.
The Verge reports that in testimony during the remedy phase of the search antitrust trial against the internet giant, Elizabeth Reid, Google’s head of search, expressed concerns over the DOJ’s proposed changes to the company’s search practices. The DOJ has suggested that Google should share its search data and ranking signals with competitors to level the playing field and end the company’s search monopoly. However, Reid argued that these changes could have severe consequences for user privacy and trust, as well as hinder innovation in the search industry.
One of the primary concerns raised by Reid is the potential risk to user privacy. She stated that exporting search data to competitors, who may have less secure systems, could put users’ sensitive information at risk. “Once it’s turned over to a qualified competitor, there’s no further protections we can give,” Reid explained, adding that smaller startups, which would now possess a “huge treasure trove of data,” could become attractive targets for hackers.
Furthermore, Reid emphasized that the proposed changes could erode user trust in Google’s products and search services as a whole. Many users turn to Google to ask sensitive questions they may not feel comfortable sharing with others. If users become concerned about their data being shared with third parties, they may refrain from using Google altogether or limit their searches to certain categories, potentially impacting the quality and relevance of search results.
Another issue highlighted by Reid is the potential for competitors or spammers to “reverse engineer” Google’s systems, making it easier for them to manipulate search rankings and promote spam or misinformation. This could lead to a constant “cat and mouse game” between Google and bad actors, with the company’s ability to combat these threats severely compromised by the proposed changes.
Reid also expressed concerns about the impact on innovation and the allocation of engineering resources. She estimated that more than 20 percent of Google’s search engineering team would need to focus on compliance with the proposed remedies, diverting talent away from developing new features and improvements. This shift in focus could slow down the company’s ability to deliver innovative solutions and enhance the user experience.
Google’s concern for user trust in its search engine seems to be a newfound concern. The company had no concerns about about undermining user trust when it committed blatant acts of election interference by heavily censoring conservatives throughout the Trump era. A Breitbart News investigation proved that Google censored Breitbart articles, reducing the search visibility by 99.7 percent.
As Breitbart News reported:
Search visibility is a key industry measure of how findable a publisher’s content is in Google search. New data shows that Google has suppressed Breitbart’s search visibility by 99.7 percent since 2016.
On April 4, 2016, Breitbart ranked in the top ten search positions (i.e., on the first page of Google search results) for 355 key search terms; but now, as of July 20, 2020, Breitbart ranks in the top ten search positions for only one search term. And, on April 4, 2016, Breitbart ranked in the top 100 search positions for 16,820 key search terms; but now, as of July 20, 2020, Breitbart ranks in the top 100 search positions for only 55 search terms.
Moreover, organic Google search traffic to Breitbart (measured by unique visitors) is down 63 percent when comparing the first half of 2016 with the first half of 2020.
More recently, the internet giant censored searches related to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which it later claimed was an innocent mistake.
The remedy phase of the Google search antitrust trial is ongoing, and the company will face the remedy phase of its ad tech antitrust trial later this year.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
