A conservative media watchdog group, the Media Research Center (MRC), has leveled serious allegations against Google, claiming the tech giant has influenced presidential elections in favor of Democratic candidates through selective censorship. The report details 41 instances of what it terms “election interference” by Google since 2008, suggesting a pattern of bias in its operations.
According to the MRC, Google’s actions have consistently favored more liberal candidates, particularly noting an instance in 2008 where it was claimed that Google suppressed search results that were favorable to Hillary Clinton to boost Barack Obama’s campaign. The report surfaces amidst scrutiny over Google News’ alleged bias, with a recent analysis by AllSides highlighting a significant lean toward liberal viewpoints in 2023. Further controversy surrounds Google’s Gemini AI for generating images that some critics have labeled as “woke” and historically inaccurate, including depictions of black Vikings and a female pope.
Google, however, has refuted these accusations, defending the integrity of its services. The MRC’s 2008 allegations pointed to Google’s apparent support for Obama over Clinton, including claims of account suspensions for bloggers critical of Obama during the primaries. The report also revisits the 2012 election, accusing Google of not addressing a “Google bomb” that targeted Republican candidate Rick Santorum and suggesting Google’s preference for Obama over Mitt Romney.
Dr. Robert Epstein’s testimony to Congress, cited in the MRC’s report, claimed Google’s search algorithms could have swayed millions of votes toward Hillary Clinton in 2016. However, these assertions have faced criticism, with some questioning the validity of Epstein’s methodology.
The 2020 Democratic primaries saw allegations from the MRC that Google “targeted” Tulsi Gabbard by temporarily disabling her Ads account after a surge in search interest post-debate. Google attributed this to automated fraud prevention measures and noted that Gabbard’s related lawsuit was eventually dismissed.
The MRC’s report also accuses Google of suppressing critical news sources about Joe Biden and claims bias in the search results for the 2022 Georgia Senate race, purportedly favoring Democrat Raphael Warnock over Republican Herschel Walker. Despite these allegations, sources close to Google and the company itself maintain that there’s no evidence of political bias, emphasizing that their platforms have been effectively used by conservatives as well. Google stresses its commitment to unbiased and accurate services, underscoring the importance of user trust in its products.
What does anyone expect? They did it in the 2020 election, they are doing it now, they will do it in the future. Facebook is doing it too so your other media conglomerates. Wake up America.