Submission + - Googlebomb defusing may blow up in Google's face
linguista writes: Nicholas Carr of the Guardian suggests that in deciding to take measures to stop googlebombing, the internet giant may actually be eroding trust:
He suggests that the common perception that Google results merely reflect the opinion of the public is threatened when Google tweaks the results for its own ends, and this may ultimately erode trust in the internet giant.
The company is allowing concerns about its public image to influence the search results it dishes up. The upshot in this case may be salubrious, but what kind of precedent is being set here?
And, perhaps more important, what does it tell us about what's inside the Google black box that determines how most of us find information on the web most of the time?"
He suggests that the common perception that Google results merely reflect the opinion of the public is threatened when Google tweaks the results for its own ends, and this may ultimately erode trust in the internet giant.
