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Hard-Coded Bias In Google Search Results?
bonch writes "Technology consultant Benjamin Edelman has developed a methodology for determining the existence of a hard-coded bias in Google's search engine which places Google's services at the top of the results page. Searching for a stock ticker places Google Finance at the top along with a price chart, but adding a comma to the end of the query removes the Google link completely. Other variations, such as 'a sore throat' instead of 'sore throat,' removes Google Health from its top position. Queries in other categories provide links to not only Google services but also their preferred partners. Though Google claims it does not bias its results, Edelman cites a 2007 admission from Google's Marissa Mayers that they placed Google Finance at the top of the results page, calling it 'only fair' because they made the search engine. Edelman notes that Google cites its use of unbiased algorithms to dismiss antitrust scrutiny, and he recalls the DOJ's intervention in airlines providing favorable results for their own flights in customer reservation systems they owned."
But I believe it'd be better if their own services didn't display as a result and more as a "hey look your favorite search engine has something for that" kind of thing
Google's search engine thinks links to Google-related stuff is more relevant? HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?!!
When I search goog, in google I get a link to google finance and then in the line right under it yahoo finance, MSN money, CNN money, Daily finance and Reuters. So what exactly is the problem? It seems like perhaps someones just nitpicking.
If you don't like it...call a different lawnmower store!
"Edelman notes that Google cites its use of unbiased algorithms to dismiss antitrust scrutiny, and he recalls the DOJ's intervention in airlines providing favorable results for its own flights in customer reservation systems they owned."
Er, airlines sell tickets for profit. What exactly does Google make from you when you use their search engine?
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Did anyone read the article?
The search results for 'acne' vs 'acne,' were exactly the same. The difference was where the search started.
With the comma, the search results started immediately. Without the comma, the search results started after a 'Value-Added' section at the top of the page.
This doesn't show a problem with Google's search engine or algorithm, it shows that in addition to the search feature, Google also has a 'Decision Engine' (to steal a phrase)...or whatever that Wolfram Alpha crap said about itself.
This is exactly the same thing as the conversion/arithmetic functions that Google has. Is it Anti-trust for Google to automatically show you the "centimeters to inches" conversion instead of simply linking to another page that has a converter app?
--Welcome to the Realm of the Hawke--
The article is inaccurate. Google does not bias search results, the results which appear on top aren't regular search results, they are more like services.
If I search for "the social network" as the article provides as proof of bias, I am happy to see a service presenting me with additional info which is certainly NOT a search result, but rather dynamically generated content. No search result can provide that, only google can because after all its their site.
Besides, how awful would it be to have that special "generated" information not showing up first?? why would it be displayed in the 3rd, 4th, 6th position? It makes no sense! Because it ISN'T a web search result. It would also be an awful user experience.
If I wasn't new here I would ask: "Why is this even news in slashdot land?" :P
There's a difference between website search result and inline information from other google services.
The first search result for GOOG yahoo finance, but the first thing shown, before the search results, is google's finance data (as if you were searching via google finance).
"World map", "map of the usa", "shopping", no top places for google.
"6*9" gives "54", but no webpage results... OMG HAX
... is the bloody stupid "autocorrect" thing. You know, where you type in something that doesn't have a lot of hits, and it comes back with "Showing results for . Click for results for ". A good example is "mkiss" which is a networking utility - type that in and you get millions of results for "kiss" which is totally the wrong thing.
Google has become increasingly unusable. The stupid javascript preview thing is just about the last straw. I've since switched back to Altavista.
The things this moron is complaining about are not the "search results". Those are Google's helpful subject-based results. Like when I google "2+2", it helpfully returns 4. (OMG! Google is biased toward 4!) Whether adding helpful subject-based information that I didn't explicitly ask for is really helpful might be something to think about, but it has no bearing on any purported bias in the search results themselves.
On Google, Yahoo, Bing, and even WolframAlpha the "top link" for stock quotes is actually a widget that shows current stock info. Google's widget is the only one of the four that has links to all their competitors' finance sites.
The same is true of health searches, travel searches, you name it... Google's widgets give you choices, the rest shuffle you to their sponsored site.
Mod article troll.
How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
they only do this with search results that "break out" with more than the standard web snippet, as a user this means that you can usually type your query for any google service (a map location, etc.) into the regular google input rather than first navigating to the relevant subdomain. i find this very helpful if i am doing a series of things, such as looking up information about something local to me finding the website, then using that to pull up a map from google.
they are not messing with search results order, they are putting a breakout at the top of the results when your query hits potentially relevant results on one of their other functions.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
First result was MSN money.
Benjamin Edelman is a troll.
Wow... it's bee a long time since I've been moded redundant because, if I remember correctly, the last time I was moded redundant was a long time ago.
I say don't drink and drive, you might spill your drink. Before you get behind the wheel just stop and think.
There's a lot going on here.
First, the "comma" thing strongly affects Google Suggest, which drives Google Instant. It also affects Google Web Search, but not as strongly. Google Suggest, which comes up with those alternatives for Instant, isn't driven by Google PageRank; it's driven by Google Trends. Or rather, it used to be; it's not as strongly trend-driven as it was a few months ago. That's really a side issue.
Then there are the special-purpose subengines - stocks, health, celebrities, weather, sports, travel, etc. That was actually a Yahoo innovation. Yahoo introduced that in early 2008, with about fifty subengines, and for six months, their search was more on topic than Google's. Few noticed. (I found out about it at a talk by a Yahoo VP.) Then Google copied that idea, and now every major search engine has it. Some of the subengines won't fire with a trailing comma present. The subengines are what the article author is talking about as "hard-coded bias".
Subengines have been around since 2008. What's changing is that some of them now actually sell something. The "weather" and "stocks" subengines don't try to sell anything. The "travel" subengine is different. Try "flight from london to new york". Google has partners ready to sell you tickets. There's a "products" subengine. "dvd player" gets Google results for brands, stores, and types, directing you to Google partners. For neither travel nor products are these entries identified as advertisements.
This is where Google is pushing the line between search results and paid ads. This previously got them into trouble with the Federal Trade Commission back in 2002. Now it's more subtle, but it's back.
Google has only claimed that they don't bias results of one third party in favor of another (provided no one is playing SEO games). They've never claimed to treat their own services impartially in their search results. They shouldn't be expected to.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
Check this out... I search for "bing", and what do I get? A big Google link to the left of the search box. It's even above the search results, in special colors and everything. Talk about biasing the results in favor of Google services! Even worse, the tile bar... TITLE BAR of the window says "Google Search", even though I searched for Bing! The nerve of these people. The DOJ should come down HARD on them for this clear monopoly abuse.
nothing in life is free...
remove NOT from email.
Perhaps it really shows how great google has been at acquiring businesses that are relevant in the Internet Age.
1. Don't be evil
2. Get filthy rich
Table-ized A.I.
The finance tickers and other things like weather in Google are called "One Boxes," which are ways to trigger off custom results based on regular expressions. We use them in my work as Google Search Appliance customers, and they work in very much the same way on a search appliance. If someone puts in a ticker with a comma, for example, it might make the One Box disappear because the rules governing it don't allow for that. I don't think that should be considered a bias in the case of specific queries which can be construed as possibly being served more effectively with a ticker interface or something else that can provide results without having to click a link.
Another reason One Boxes are more effective for things like stock tickers is that this is temporal data, which might not well be served by results which are biased by other methods (like post date, number of links to the page, and so on.)
"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution" - Emma Goldman
Slashdot is totally biased!
They have their name in huge print at the top of the page, and all the links go to various pages on their domain! Clearly they're biased toward themselves!
If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
Searching for switch on Cisco's web site only returns results that have to do with Cisco equipment news at 11. Duh, Google is going to cross promote.
This is silly, if I type acne vs acne, i get the same exact results list. There are no google-biased links at the top. But there are almost 1 million more hits for acne then when Edelman created the posted screen captures...that's telling.
I think therefore I can't be ~TTNH
I saw this article earlier in the week and decided not to submit it to /. because it said the following:
I tried this. Without the comma, Yahoo Finance came up as the first result. With the comma, Yahoo Finance came up as the first result. If I can't reproduce your experiment's results, then I view your whole hypothesis with skepticism.
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