Bayer/Monsanto paid google in order to manipulate search results and used PR agents in order to target journalists and activists.

submitted by HibikiBlackCaudillo from theguardian.com

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[–]thefadd 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

I thought it was common knowledge that all majors companies do this.

Not that it doesn’t bear repeating.

[–]AbeFroman 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Right. Google is an advertising company after all. Companies pay them to alter search results.

[–]thefadd 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I mean, even an individual has a fair number of recourses to have altered search results in which they appear. I've done it myself.

The issue is that (a) dumb people trust google too much and (b) google has too much of an advantage with which to manipulate results to their own pleasing and (c) google being a private company does not disclose any of these things.

My (weirdly libertarian) GF used to insist all the time that google and social media should be regulated like a public utility, which I think would be the "easy" way out that only caused more problems but...