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Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

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Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#61

Post by oh_sigh »

dibujante wrote: post #12
oh_sigh wrote: post #6

> These findings make clear that the decline in Google search traffic to the WSWS is not the result of some technical issue, but a deliberate policy of censorship. Quite a claim.

It would be very interesting to prove this, but their argument is mostly circumstantial so far.

Even if Googlers had no sense of right and wrong, just knowing the number of socialists or socialist-leaning googlers there are, there is no way this would ever fly. It's not like anyone has super special access to modify the search engine algorithm and rankings individually. All changes go through probably dozens of people at least. One of them would presumably raise the issue internally(or leak to press) if something so nefarious was happening.

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#62

Post by ma2rten »

yeahsureokay wrote: post #22

This has been fairly thoroughly debunked: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/webmasters/0Y...

They just pointed out a bunch of SEO problems with the site, that doesn't proof or disprove that they have been censored. Especially if their ranking only dropped on specific terms and it dropped suddenly.

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#63

Post by tyingq »

pmarreck wrote: post #34

Gee, wouldn't it be great if we could just look up the open-source code for the most popular search engine on the "open" Internet? Given the amount of power and money they now have, effectively having "won the game," it seems ethical to me to open-source their entire search algorithm.

Given the heavy reliance on ML Google has for search these days, I'm not sure that would help much.

They would have to open source the indexed data and training data too, assuming you wanted to know why site A doesn't rank well for term X.

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#64

Post by gremlinsinc »

I wonder if it'd be possible... (i know it'd be extremely challenging) - to have some sort of open-source-ai search engine that runs on the blockchain... -- something that anyone could use the API to make a frontend interface ala google, but all the rankings/etc... are controlled by the blockchain, and people using the sites could maybe thumbs up/down if it was a good search and then the AI could use those indicators to hone it's algorithms.

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#65

Post by confounded »

diogenescynic wrote: post #16
dibujante wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...how far does "propaganda and misinformation" go? Political parties also put out propaganda and misinformation, as do businesses and individuals.

Marketing is not the same as propaganda and straight up lying about historical facts. If you claim there weren't famines in the Soviet Union, you're either a liar or a fool. I am fine with those being removed from Google. Separating the wheat from the chaff is the entire point of Google search. They should ban all disinformation sites, Fox News, Breitbart, and InfoWars would be a good start to add to WSWS. Salon and…

Your examples are cherry-picked UGC from Reddit (not a good brush to tar any viewpoint with).

Are there specific WSWS examples, or is the the concept of advocating socialism which is false to you?

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#66

Post by undersuit »

diogenescynic wrote: post #42
pmarreck wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's almost like "truth" isn't an absolute thing, but an ongoing discussion... which has become fractured!

And yet there are observable and objective facts. Water freezes at 32 degrees. The sky is blue. Grass is green. When a source repeatedly tells you not to believe your own eyes, but offers no valid counter-argument--you should be suspicious. I'm fine with Google/Facebook or whoever filtering out known dishonest and inaccurate websites, whether they are intentionally malicious or just ignorant.

So WSWS is a known dishonest and/or inaccurate website?

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#68

Post by rgbrenner »

yeahsureokay wrote: post #22

This has been fairly thoroughly debunked: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/webmasters/0Y...

Has it? it looks like someone posted the link, and a bunch of random people with no real information (who dont work at google) said "I dont believe it.."

Re: Google blocked every one of the WSWS’s 45 top search terms

#70

Post by thisrod »

dibujante wrote: post #32
thisrod wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that Google is refusing to deny it is, in my view, pretty strong circumstantial evidence.

Not necessarily. Google may not comment on these things as a matter of policy; for example, let's say that Google is required by some law to censor a particular search result. If they are in the habit of announcing their censorship decisions, then their silence on that one site would be non-silence. They would have to lie about the site instead. So, from a company liability perspective, Google is cautious about revea…

That's true. But this isn't about Google releasing a whole class of information by policy. It's about them responding, or not, to a specific question of the form, "We run a legitimate website on the topic that the American government has censored more often, and more harshly, than any other topic. Could you please confirm that our recent drop in search rankings is not the result of deliberate action by Google employees?"
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