Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Google Changed Another Help Entry

Google in response to their new censorship policies in China (in which they agreed to remove results unwanted by the Chinese government) changed another help entry. This is what was available before, live until at least late January:

“Does Google ever manipulate its search results?

The order and contents of Google search results are completely automated. No one hand picks a particular result for a given search query, nor does Google ever insert jokes or send messages by changing the order of results. Occasionally, when a particular website is the subject of public attention, other sites begin linking to it. This may elevate . . .”

This is the version available now:

“Does Google ever insert jokes or send messages by changing the order of its results?

No. Occasionally, when a particular website is the subject of public attention, other sites begin linking to it. This may elevate . . .”

As you can see, the following part is missing in Google’s revised policy: “The order and contents of Google search results are completely automated. No one hand picks a particular result for a given search query.”

This isn’t the first incident in which Google changes or temporarily removes its help entries related to censorship policies. Around January 27, Google removed an entry titled “Does Google censor search results?” Days later, Google brought back the entry in a revised form, stating a paradoxical “It is Google’s policy not to censor search results. However, in response to local laws, regulations, or policies, we may do so.”

Google Changed Another He ... by Philipp Lenssen | Comments (12)

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