Google 'experiment' in Australia filters out major news websites from search results

Alphabet Inc’s Google ‘experimented’ in Australia by removing major news sites from search results and it hid significant news stories from hundreds of thousands of Australians. As per The Guardian report, in some of the cases, by filtering out the mainstream news publication from the search results, the lower-quality publications are being promoted including one news website known for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories. 

The changes in the search feed came after the tech giant had previously announced that it is running “a few experiments that will each reach about 1% of Google Search users in Australia to measure the impacts of news businesses and Google Search on each other”. However, Google has reportedly refused to answer more detailed questions about the experiment but recently disclosed its plans of launching its own news website in Australia within weeks.

However, the ‘experiment’ for some of the Australian users, filtered out major news sites without informing the users that their results are restricted. People in the nation were reportedly able to find news stories in Google News or by visiting the actual websites or alternative search engines. Even government links along with other official information are included in the search results. 

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Google Revives Plan To Launch Its News Website In Australia

Amid a political battle, Google is reviving its plans to launch its own news website in Australia within weeks, according to Sydney Herald. Alphabet Inc-owned website has planned to launch ‘News Showcase’ as early as February in an attempt to prove to the federal government that it is a better way of paying media companies than newly proposed law, which would force the digital platforms to strike an agreement with the news media companies to pay for the content. The report of the new launch comes a week after Google said that it would cut off the search to Australian users as a “worst-case scenario” if the government legislated a proposed news media bargaining code in its current form. 

Google had announced plans to launch ‘News Showcase’ in Australia last June and it had signed deals with seven small local outlets, including ‘The Conversation’, for content. The search engine had, however, delayed the launch citing regulatory condition when Australia’s competition regulator published a draft copy of the proposed media bragging code. Now, the decision to push ahead with the launch is considered an apparent show of Google’s willingness to run its own content deals, negating the need for the government-mandated legislation. 

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