White House investigating Google after Trump accuses it of bias

[webfact]

White House investigating Google after Trump accuses it of bias

By Ginger Gibson and Susan Heavey

 

U.S. President Donald Trump sits behind his desk as he announces a bilateral trade agreement with Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Google's search engine of promoting negative news articles and hiding "fair media" coverage of him, vowing to address the situation without providing evidence or giving details of action he might take.

 

Trump's attack against the Alphabet Inc unit follows a string of grievances against technology companies, including social media Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc, which he has accused of silencing conservative voices, and Amazon.com Inc, which he has said is hurting small businesses and benefiting from a favorable deal with the U.S. Postal Services. He frequently berates news outlets for what he perceives as unfair coverage.

 

Google denied any political bias, saying in a statement that its search engine is "not used to set a political agenda and we don't bias our results toward any political ideology."

 

Trump said in several tweets on Tuesday that Google search results for "Trump News" were "rigged" against him because they showed only coverage from outlets like CNN and not conservative publications, suggesting the practice was illegal.

 

"I think Google is really taking advantage of our people," Trump said on Tuesday in the Oval Office. "Google, and Twitter and Facebook, they are really treading on very, very troubled territory, and they have to be careful. It's not fair to large portions of the population."

 

Facebook declined to comment. Twitter did not comment when asked for a response. In congressional testimony, both companies have denied engaging in partisan censorship.

 

Neither Trump nor the White House detailed how or under what legal justification they would use to probe Google.

 

Trump's economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, later told reporters that the White House was "taking a look" at Google, saying the administration would do "some investigation and some analysis," without providing further details.

 

Earlier this summer, the new Republican chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Joseph Simons, said the agency would keep a close eye on big tech companies that dominate the internet. In a previous investigation, the FTC decided that Google was likely justified in developing a search function that harmed other companies.

 

Congressional sources cautioned that it may be difficult for Trump to find a way to probe Google about news search results, and that Congress is unlikely to pass any applicable laws. The Federal Communications Commission ceded jurisdiction over regulating online communications when it repealed its net neutrality rules.

 

U.S. member of Congress Ted Lieu, a Democrat, said in a tweet directed at Trump that such restrictions on Google would violate the U.S. Constitution: "If government tried to dictate the free speech algorithms of private companies, courts would strike it down in a nanosecond."

 

Shares of Alphabet fell 0.8 percent to $1,245.86.

 

TRUMP'S CRITICISM OF MEDIA

While the exact science behind Google searches on the internet is kept secret, its basic principles are widely known to be generated with a variety of factors measured by the company's algorithms.

 

The factors Google uses to determine which websites appear first in search results include how often that page is linked to on other sites, the use of keywords, the popularity and respectability of the news site, and personal browsing history of the person conducting the search.

 

Highly trafficked and cited websites like CNN.com and NYTimes.com, two of the most Trump's most frequent targets, often appear first in search results.

 

Trump's accusation of bias on the part of Google comes as social media companies have suspended accounts, banned certain users and removed content as they face pressure from the U.S. Congress to police foreign propaganda and fake accounts aimed at disrupting American politics, including operations tied to Iran and Russia.

 

Companies such as Facebook and Twitter have also been pressed to remove conspiracy driven content and hate speech. Tech companies have said they do not remove content for political reasons. Some Republican U.S. lawmakers have also raised concerns about social media companies removing content from some conservatives, and have called Twitter's chief executive to testify before a House of Representatives panel on Sept. 5.

 

Earlier this month, Alphabet's YouTube joined Apple Inc and Facebook in removing some content from Infowars, a website run by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Jones was also temporarily suspended on Twitter.

 

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Additional reporting by Ken Li in New York and Chris Sanders in Washington; Editing by Frances Kerry and Richard Chang)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-29

[Esso49]

Whilst no doubt Twitter and Facebook most certainly will allow anything to get money from anybody,  until that is they are shamed by other media,  I can not help thinking that the only reason Trump is raising the issue is solely the fact they will not bow to his political pressure and only allow posts that are  complimentary to him. Narcissus personified.   Mind you FB and Twitter do have a lot to answer for.

[mtls2005]

He famously and proudly doesn't know how to use a computer, so suspect someone like Tucker Carlson is "reading him in" on this matter.

 

Maybe Barron can fill him in on how this modern stuff works?

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Just more distracting total B.S. from the criminally corrupt clown president. He is truly insufferable.

Don't take it seriously. That just feeds the super troll president. 

 

Quote

 

The playbook, by now, is familiar. Faced with a negative story -- or stories -- President Donald Trump uses his Twitter feed to float a conspiracy theory of some sort designed to distract and deflect.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/28/politics/donald-trump-google-conspiracy-theory/index.html

[keith101]

Jus the normal little boy bully tactics

[Chomper Higgot]

He’s building the excuses he’s going to rely on after November.

 

Plays well with his shrinking base.

[jimmyyy]

Google is censoring conservatives all over the USA.  Look at what they have done on you tube.  This is a serious issue and google needs to feel some pain and pressure to get them to stop this insanity.

[Chomper Higgot]

12 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

Google is censoring conservatives all over the USA.  Look at what they have done on you tube.  This is a serious issue and google needs to feel some pain and pressure to get them to stop this insanity.

Google, a private company, can do as they please.

 

If they choose to blocke hate mongering, that’s up to them. 

[jimmyyy]

One could argue that they hold a monopoly and unfairly block competition.  Indeed google is all powerful anyone saying anything different is out of touch with reality.  Google needs to be broken up into little pieces.  They are using their platforms as political tools in order to fix an election for the left.  This is against US election law. 

[jimmyyy]

3 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

If they choose to blocke hate mongering, that’s up to them.

The only hate involved here is the Left, violent property destroying thugs that need to be jailed along with Soros who pays for it all.

[attrayant]

I am just amazed a the sheer nuttiness I see in these forums.  

 

3 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

the Left, violent property destroying thugs that need to be jailed along with Soros who pays for it all.

 

You mean I can throw stones through Hannity's windows and then send an invoice to Soros for services rendered?  How does this transaction take place?  Does he have payment kiosks in malls?  Does he pay by the hour or by the job?  Wouldn't I have to include photos of myself doing the dirty deeds along with a signed affidavit, otherwise how can he be sure I've really done his evil bidding?

[jimmyyy]

Thank you for your question fine sir.  Search Jobs for protesters on duck duck go, or that other evil company that has a search browser.  They pay 15.00 an hour plus miles, to protest against trump.  Do some research who is paying those fees, and in a few hours you will find a soros funded charity or NGO footing the bill. 

[wwest5829]

It is said that, "a picture is worth a thousand words". A perfect picture of a person hoisted on his own petard!!!

[Becker]

19 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

Thank you for your question fine sir.  Search Jobs for protesters on duck duck go, or that other evil company that has a search browser.  They pay 15.00 an hour plus miles, to protest against trump.  Do some research who is paying those fees, and in a few hours you will find a soros funded charity or NGO footing the bill. 

Or I could just do a search on paranoia and other related mental illnesses.

[jimmyyy]

28 minutes ago, attrayant said:

 

 

4 minutes ago, Becker said:

Or I could just do a search on paranoia and other related mental illnesses.

perhaps you could find a cure for the liberals. 

[stevenl]

48 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

The only hate involved here is the Left, violent property destroying thugs that need to be jailed along with Soros who pays for it all.

Please stop, just wetted myself from laughter.

[klauskunkel]

Donald Trump googling "constipation":

 

[stevenl]

38 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

Thank you for your question fine sir.  Search Jobs for protesters on duck duck go, or that other evil company that has a search browser.  They pay 15.00 an hour plus miles, to protest against trump.  Do some research who is paying those fees, and in a few hours you will find a soros funded charity or NGO footing the bill. 

Excellent news, do they cover travel expenses from Thailand? If so, I'd be happy to join.

[Becker]

4 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Please stop, just wetted myself from laughter.

I know someone who would pay top dollar for a good wetting!

[mtls2005]

5 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

Donald Trump googling "constipation":

 

He probably wonders why he keeps getting ads about adult diapers, catheters, Hookers R US and Eastern European brides.

 

 

Seriously, you have to hand it to these nutters, they keep all us normal people on our heels with the conspiracy theories. And when they're called out on their buffoonery they just blithely move on to the next outrageous "claim", with no shame whatsoever.

 

Just last week Kevin McCarthy was whining about how Twitter was censoring him, or Laura Ingraham, when in fact it was he who had this in is own account settings.

 

Kevin McCarthy
✔
@GOPLeader
 Another day, another example of conservatives being censored on social media. @jack easy fix: explain to Congress what is going on. #StopTheBias cc @IngrahamAngle

12:06 AM - Aug 18, 2018
7,453
14.4K people are talking about this

 

 

GOP leader accuses Twitter of censoring conservatives, finds out his user settings was hiding tweets

 

Kevin McCarthy was irate earlier this week because he couldn’t see Laura Ingraham’s tweet, but it was his own fault

 

 

https://www.salon.com/2018/08/19/gop-leader-accuses-twitter-of-censoring-conservatives-finds-out-his-user-settings-was-hiding-tweets/

 

 

[Berkshire]

1 hour ago, jimmyyy said:

Google is censoring conservatives all over the USA.  Look at what they have done on you tube.  This is a serious issue and google needs to feel some pain and pressure to get them to stop this insanity.

Google isn't censoring conservatives.  They're blocking conspiracy nutbags and Russian fake news.  What's wrong with that? 

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Trump on Tuesday accused Google's search engine of promoting negative news articles and hiding "fair media" coverage of him, vowing to address the situation without providing evidence or giving details of action he might take.

trump: the poster child for conspiracy theory nutters. 

[BoganInParasite]

I was living and working in the USA when he was elected. At the office next morning I jokingly asked many 'What were you thinking?'. Didn't get a single straight answer. Still an appropriate question I believe.

[Chomper Higgot]

When Illiberals, wound up with  vigilante zeal by something they read online, turn up heavily armed at Pizza Parlours to rescue kids they believe are locked in secret cellars accessed via a door hidden behind the fridge.

 

Well yes, somebody is taking part in online manipulation.

 

 

[zaphod reborn]

The distractor-in-chief.  How is a private company responsible for rendering content neutral search results?  Is there some legislation that would create such a duty?  Such legislation would have a difficult time passing consistutional muster.  Trump just doesn't like the fact that his disapproval rating is reaching 60% and that means a majority of news stories are going to diss his trumpster fire of a presidency.

[spidermike007]

Google, Facebook, CNN, The Washington Post, and most others, are media that are reporting events as they happen. Sure, the content is colored by an editorial bias, as is the case with all media. But, much of it is reporting on real events, contrary to what the deflector in chief wants his base to believe. Fox also reports, but with another kind of bias, and often creates a narrative that is far from truth. And they are the hucksters primary source of information, as he refuses to read any of his briefings. 

 

Now, if he engaged in good policy, negotiated with our long standing allies in good faith, told the truth once in a while, attempted to do some good work, and stopped slandering his opponents for a moment, there is a chance people would have some good things to say about him. As it stands now, he is very, very easy to criticize! 

 

Tiny Don simply despises criticism. That is his primary beef. He is a very simple man. Love him and he likes you. Criticize him, and he hates you. His skin is as thin as it can get. Probably due to alot of self loathing, and low self esteem, despite all of the bluster to the contrary. Now, with the walls closing in on him, he is more fearful and paranoid than ever. I think he is really starting to question his decision to run for president! Great men do not have to constantly tell you how great they are. 

 

As a great Hindu saint once said "In the minds of small men, the fish of little thoughts make much commotion, in the minds of giants, the whales of inspiration make hardly a ruffle". 

[Tug]

Hey Donald here is a clue just stop being such a petty jackass and maybe just maybe some one will have something nice to say about you

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, jimmyyy said:

The only hate involved here is the Left, violent property destroying thugs that need to be jailed along with Soros who pays for it all.

Fake news much?

[johnnybangkok]

2 hours ago, jimmyyy said:

The only hate involved here is the Left, violent property destroying thugs that need to be jailed along with Soros who pays for it all.

And there it is.

Your tin-foil hat is showing as soon as you mention Soros!!

Any other argument (valid or not) now diminishes as soon as you mention this often debunked theory.

 

 

[mikebike]

The non-news that 45 has had implanted in his vapid brain and is referencing in the OP is a "study" by a "journalist" where they entered the search term "Trump" and then "reported" that in the first 100 there were no positive search results.

 

Why is this BS news?

 

When you do stupid, bad things search results will often reflect that reality.