FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 17, 2008
CONTACT: Kristina Hernandez
703-683-5004
Washington, DC – News reports this past weekend in The Register raise serious questions about the way in which Google ranks their search terms. The story reported that, “Google this week admitted that its staff will pick and choose what appears in its search results.” Randy Skoglund, executive director of Americans for Technology Leadership (ATL), made the following statement in reaction to this news:
“If true, these reports are disturbing and go to the very heart of Google’s business model which claims to organize the world’s information. Google prides itself on their search algorithms which decide where searches rank. The possibility that Google employees are picking and choosing how and where companies and information appear in a search raises serious questions that Google needs to answer.
“Many advertisers and businesses have previously raised concerns about the process that Google uses to rank searches. Companies have alleged that they have literally dropped out of existence overnight from Internet searches without any clear reason why. These new reports only exacerbate those concerns.
“Google owes consumers and small businesses who advertise on their site answers about whether these allegations are true.”
Americans for Technology Leadership is a broad-based coalition of technology professionals, consumers, and organizations dedicated to limiting government regulation of technology and to fostering competitive market solutions to public policy issues that affect the technology industry. For additional information on ATL, a list of founding members, public policy positions, and a mission statement visit the web site at www.techleadership.org.
For more information, or to speak with Randy Skoglund, please contact Kristina Hernandez at 703-683-5004.
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