this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023
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Technology

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How Google Alters Search Queries to Get at Your Wallet - WIRED (www.wired.com)
submitted 11 months ago by ijeff@lemdro.id to c/technology@beehaw.org
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cross-posted from !google@lemdro.id

  • Google may be altering billions of search queries daily to generate results that increase purchases.
  • Testimony in an antitrust case revealed an internal Google slide about changes to its search algorithm, involving "semantic matching" to generate more commercial results.
  • Google covertly changes user queries, substituting them with ones that generate more revenue for the company and display shopping-oriented results.
  • This manipulation benefits Google's profits but harms search quality and raises advertiser costs.
  • Despite legal challenges, Google's market dominance allows it to continue these practices, impacting users' ability to access unbiased information.
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[–] macallik@kbin.social 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It feels like every other post on privacy and technology is someone pushing the (paid) search engine Kagi nowadays...

[–] dan@upvote.au 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I'm not affiliated with Kagi or anything, it's just refreshing to have a fresh approach to search engines that doesn't involve using advertising to pay for it. I haven't actually paid for a plan yet, but I do have a trial account, and it seems like a pretty good product.

[–] Linssiili@sopuli.xyz 4 points 11 months ago

Probably, since every other post is about search engines, and many of us have been cursing the ever-worsening search results from google, with no real alternative (that actually provides better results than google).

Now that there is finally an ad-free product that performs like Google did 5-10 years ago, of course, I want others to have the same experience and not get frustrated when they can't find the information they're seeking.