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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Do human actions sometimes shape Google's search results?

By Christopher Hutton
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YES

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified before Congress recently that the company sometimes intervenes manually to block certain websites from search results, normally for security reasons, such as malware or phishing scams, or for legal reasons.

Some publishers have accused it of being biased against politically opinionated content. A July "glitch," when several partisan news and opinion sites weren't accessible for part of a day, raised questions. The company told Mediaite, a media news site, the interruption resulted from a "technical error."

Search-industry analysts say appearances of bias can be explained by the mechanics of Google's process. "Ranking factors are related to site quality and user experience, nothing about specific types of content," an industry blog says.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Fox Business: Pichai explains "deceptive news blacklist" in testimony to Congress
Mediaite: Glitch blocking websites could have revealed mysterious list
Google: Safe browsing
Wall Street Journal: How Google interferes with its search algorithms and changes results
Search Engine Journal: Google isn’t really biased against conservative websites
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.