Trump accuses company of bias in searches
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 29, 2018
President Donald Trump attacked Google on Tuesday for what he claimed was an effort to intentionally suppress conservative views supportive of his administration, an accusation that increases pressure on technology companies grappling with their role as purveyors of information.
Trump’s remarks — an about-face from last month, when he said Google was “one of our great companies” — come ahead of congressional hearings next week in which executives from many of the country’s largest internet companies will be questioned. The president has increasingly targeted technology businesses, along with the news media, over coverage the White House does not like.
On Tuesday, Trump’s ire was directed toward Google, which he said was not showing enough links to content from conservative sources in its search results.
The president wrote on Twitter: “Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of results on “Trump News” are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!”
Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council said the White House was looking into the matter.
In a statement, Google said its search service was “not used to set a political agenda and we don’t bias our results toward any political ideology.”
Trump’s attacks on technology companies have increased since Apple, Google and Facebook removed content from Alex Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist who has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s agenda.