Highlights
- Ryan Selkis calls for peaceful protest against Google’s alleged search ban on Donald Trump.
- Elon Musk sparks debate with a screenshot showing no Google search suggestions for Trump.
- Google denies intentional action, citing automated protections against politically sensitive content.
Messari founder and former CEO Ryan Selkis has called for a peaceful protest in response to Google’s alleged search ban on US Presidential candidate Donald Trump. In a recent social media post, Selkis emphasized the need for a significant but peaceful demonstration to address this controversial issue. The update comes amid heavy backlash the tech behemoth faced from prominent figures like Elon Musk, Charles Hoskinson, and others.
Ryan Selkis Calls For Protest Against Google
Messari founder Ryan Selkis has called for a peaceful protest outside Google’s Mountain View headquarters, citing concerns over the tech giant’s search practices and their influence on political discourse. In a recent post, Selkis urged demonstrators to assemble a large, yet peaceful, crowd to send a strong message.
In addition, the Messari founder emphasized the need for vigilance against potential disruptors who may attempt to undermine the protest’s message. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of Google’s search algorithms and their potential to shape public opinion and sway elections.
Meanwhile, the issue gained prominence after Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a screenshot on social media, claiming that Google had a search ban on Donald Trump. Musk’s post highlighted the lack of search suggestions related to Trump, sparking widespread debate. “Wow, Google has a search ban on President Donald Trump! Election interference?” Musk wrote.
Simultaneously, Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson and others also pointed out the alleged search ban. A prominent figure in the cryptocurrency industry, Hoskinson sarcastically said, “Probably nothing,” added fuel to the controversy. These claims have raised questions about Google’s neutrality and its role in the upcoming elections.
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Google’s Response Amid Heavy Backlash
Amid Ryan Selkis’s call for the protest, Google has denied any intentional action to limit search results. A spokesperson told FOX Business, “There was no manual action taken on these predictions.” Google explained that its systems have protections against Autocomplete predictions associated with political violence.
They stated that these protections were working as intended prior to the recent events. Google also mentioned ongoing efforts to improve their systems to ensure timely and accurate updates.
However, Ryan Selkis has shared a post, where a user complained that while searching for Donald Trump, Google is showing news results for Kamala Harris. On the other hand, Musk further suggested that Google’s actions might amount to election interference.
He highlighted that Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, was a top donor to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. “Probably just a coincidence that Alphabet (Google) employees were the top donors to Biden,” Musk noted. This observation has intensified scrutiny of Google’s influence in political matters.
In addition, Musk also said Google search shows results related to other historical assassination attempts but not the recent incident involving Trump. This inconsistency has fueled allegations of bias. Google, however, maintains that its systems operate impartially and without manual interference.
Meanwhile, Ryan Selkis’s call for a peaceful protest reflects a broader concern about transparency and fairness in digital platforms. The tech industry, particularly major players like Google, faces increasing pressure to ensure unbiased operations.
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