Google Accused of Manipulating Search Results to Favor Kamala Harris Over Donald Trump

A conservative media watchdog alleges that Google Search is giving preferential placement to Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign website over former President Donald Trump's site, potentially influencing news consumption and public opinion.

A new study by the Media Research Center (MRC) has sparked allegations that Google Search is manipulating its search results to favor Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump. The study claims that Google's search engine is displaying Harris' campaign website more prominently than Trump's official site, along with featuring articles from left-leaning sources that promote Harris and criticize Trump.

According to the study, when searching for "Donald Trump presidential race 2024," Trump's campaign website appeared sixth in Google search results, preceded by seven articles from left-wing outlets. In contrast, when searching for "Kamala Harris presidential race 2024," her campaign website was third in the organic Google search results, followed by largely left-leaning articles.

Google Accused of Manipulating Search Results to Favor Kamala Harris Over Donald Trump

The study also found that the sixth result on search engines receives typically less than half as many click-throughs as the third result, which could significantly impact the visibility and reach of Trump's campaign website compared to Harris'.

Brent Bozell, founder of the MRC, accused Google of trying to "stack the deck in favor of Kamala Harris" by pushing left-wing media articles that favor her and criticize Trump. He urged users to "not trust Google searches."

Google Accused of Manipulating Search Results to Favor Kamala Harris Over Donald Trump

MRC Free Speech America researchers Gabriela Pariseau and Tim Graham highlighted the concerning leftist bias in the articles suggested by Google, particularly considering the rising number of American adults receiving their news from search engines.

Despite these allegations, a Google spokesperson dismissed the study, claiming that both campaign websites consistently appear at the top of Search for relevant and common search queries. However, MRC Free Speech America researchers argue that the placement of Trump and Harris's websites is noteworthy, indicating a potential preferential treatment towards Harris.

Google Accused of Manipulating Search Results to Favor Kamala Harris Over Donald Trump

This study follows a previous MRC Free Speech America study that found Google favored leftist media outlets in its search results when conducting searches related to Kamala Harris.

The MRC's findings raise concerns about Google's use of algorithms and the potential influence they may have on the dissemination of information and public opinion. The alleged manipulation of search results could lead to skewed perceptions of political candidates and limit voters' access to balanced and informed content.

Google Accused of Manipulating Search Results to Favor Kamala Harris Over Donald Trump

Google has a responsibility to provide accurate and unbiased search results to its users. The allegations of manipulation undermine the company's credibility and call into question its commitment to fairness and transparency.