SAN FRANCISCO – In recent years, Google has come under fire for how it handles search results. Critics say the search giant pushes down conservative news sites, ghosts certain pages, and changes its algorithms in ways that aren’t always clear.
These claims, spread by politicians, news outlets, and researchers, have sparked heated debates about tech companies’ influence over public conversation. This report reviews the main accusations, looks at the supporting evidence, and considers how Google’s approach to ranking content affects everyone who uses the internet.
The main complaint centres on the belief that Google’s search system makes it harder for conservative-leaning voices to appear at the top of the results. Some say this limits viewpoints outside the progressive mainstream. Critics mention a few tactics behind these claims:
Lower Ranking for Conservative News
High-profile figures like former President Donald Trump and Missouri’s Attorney General Andrew Bailey have accused Google of boosting left-leaning media at the expense of conservative outlets.
Trump told Bloomberg News in 2024 that most Google results about him feature negative stories, even with good coverage available. Bailey’s probe into Google’s search methods, which included legal steps to examine algorithm details, claimed that Google “censors conservative speech” by shifting right-wing sources lower in results.
Some site owners, especially those running conservative or alternative news sites, report being “ghosted” after a Google update—meaning their pages drop sharply in results for no clear reason. For example, the World Socialist Web Site said its Google traffic fell by 70 percent after a 2017 change, and similar reductions hit sites like WikiLeaks and Counterpunch, which also challenge mainstream narratives.
Another frequent complaint is that Google briefly shows some pages in search, then quietly removes them from view, especially for politically charged topics. Critics argue this gives the impression of fairness, but really ensures key stories disappear from searches over time.
These claims have gained momentum as news becomes more polarised. Outlets like PJ Media, Breitbart, and The Gateway Pundit regularly report on supposed bias. A PJ Media piece from 2018 claimed 96 percent of Google searches for “Trump” promoted left-leaning sources. Social media also fuels the fire, with X users such as @EstopinalCathy sharing stories about Google “silencing conservative media.”
Examining the Evidence: Reports, Data, and Google’s Reply
Assessing these complaints means weighing personal stories, limited studies, and what data is available. Evidence for planned discrimination is still hard to pin down. Many reports come from those running websites that have disappeared from search results.
MyTriggers.com, an Ohio-based shopping platform, sued Google for unfairly pushing its services, but the case was thrown out as the harm to rivals wasn’t clear. Businessman Sir Brian Souter also complained when his company’s page stopped showing on Google’s first results.
Some researchers argue that Google’s autocomplete helps or hinders political candidates. Psychologist Robert Epstein claimed in 2016 that Google edits autocomplete results to hide negative stories about Hillary Clinton.
He later changed his view, noting that after his study, Google relaxed some controls and critical content about both Trump and Clinton surged, which he said may have spread more false claims.
A Wall Street Journal report from 2019 found Google keeps blacklists and manually edits results to demote spammy websites and boost big advertisers like eBay. Internal records from a 2016 Google meeting, uncovered in a US court, showed the company uses complex systems that even its engineers can’t always explain.
Google’s Stance
Google strongly rejects any claims of political bias. In answer to the Missouri attorney general’s 2024 inquiry, a spokesperson said, “These claims are totally false. Independent research shows Google Search is nonpartisan.”
The company points to its 160-page Search Quality Raters’ Guidelines, which set out how it grades sites for accuracy and relevance. Other tools, like the “About this result” feature, are meant to help users learn more about sources. Google insists it prioritizes what users are looking for, not any ideology.
But Google keeps much about its ranking process secret. Algorithms like PageRank use over 100 factors to decide what appears first, including location and how recent the content is. Even search experts can’t always predict the outcome. As sociologist Francesca Tripodi pointed out in a 2018 Guardian article, negative search results for people like Trump often reflect the kind of content users click and link to, rather than targeted removal.
Changing Algorithms and Their Impact
Google makes frequent changes to the systems that control search results, often to highlight reliable or useful information. Updates like the 2024 core changes focus on cutting out “unoriginal, low-quality content” while putting “helpful, reliable, and people-first” pages higher up. Still, these updates can cause big drops in website traffic that site owners sometimes blame on targeted censorship.
For example, the 2017 update, designed to combat fake news, hit left-wing sites like WSWS hard. Meanwhile, right-leaning sites like Breitbart say they lost around 89 percent of their traffic during updates such as the 2022 Pirate release.
Search professionals also see both sides. SEO expert Marie Haynes told The Atlantic in 2023 that while Google is getting better at spotting well-made pages, its system can be tricked by bad actors using aggressive SEO. Rhea Drysdale, from Outspoken Media, pointed out in 2016 that conservative sites have often used SEO tactics well, sometimes outranking mainstream outlets.
The ongoing complaints about bias at Google come as the company controls over 90 percent of the global search market. Its dominance raises concerns about how much power it holds over what information people can find. In 2016, antitrust expert Sally Hubbard argued that Google’s control lets the wrong stories go viral, as more competition would mean bad actors couldn’t just target one main system.
Regulators in the EU fined Google €2.42 billion in 2017 for favouring its shopping results. In 2020, the US Justice Department sued Google over claims of anti-competitive behaviour in search and advertising. These headlines focus attention on the bigger issue: a single company has a huge say in what people see online.
People’s confidence in Google is slipping. A 2024 BBC report referred to Google as a “bias machine,” saying its results often line up with users’ existing beliefs, creating echo chambers. Searching for fairness in the British tax system, for instance, yields results aligned to political leanings, supporting public perceptions of bias, even if it’s not intentional.
Algorithm Complexity and User Preferences
Some supporters of Google’s system argue that claims of bias ignore how search works. The rankings depend on things like links and user clicks, which can’t be controlled for political reasons without changing everything. A 2024 analysis by Authoritas found that conservative websites still held 2.7 times the visibility of left-wing sites in organic search, undermining arguments about blanket censorship.
User behaviour also plays a big part. If more people link to or search for certain news, those stories will rise in the rankings. Francesca Tripodi wrote in 2018 that mainstream and left-leaning sources often appear at the top because they’re cited by academic and official sites more often.
Whether the claims prove true or not, most critics agree that the lack of clarity is the biggest problem. Mark Williams-Cook, founder of AlsoAsked, told the BBC in 2024 that Google’s unwillingness to admit mistakes dents public trust. With no clear view into how rankings work, people are left guessing, and rumours spread more quickly.
This matters because Google handles 3.8 million searches each minute, shaping opinions on politics, health, and more. If its systems bury certain views by mistake or design, the effect on discussion and civic life could be huge.
Summary: Questions Remain
Clear evidence of planned political bias in Google’s search system is hard to find, but the lack of detail in how it operates keeps the debate alive. Both conservative and left-leaning sites have shared stories of sharp drops after algorithm changes. As Google faces more AI-generated pages and ongoing claims of bias, the company’s challenge is to stay fair, trustworthy, and open with users and publishers.
For now, arguments continue, with voices from all sides trying to sway public opinion. Until Google reveals more about how its system works, claims of hidden tactics and falling rankings will keep people guessing about whether the world’s top search engine is neutral—or picking winners and losers behind the scenes.
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