Missouri AG probing Google for allegedly ‘manipulating search results’ ahead of 2024 election

Google faces an investigation by nan Missouri lawyer general’s agency for allegedly “manipulating hunt results” and exhibiting anti-conservative bias up of nan 2024 election.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said he will rumor subpoenas to “get to nan bottommost of what appears to beryllium predetermination interference by Google,” a spokesperson for nan Republican told The Post connected Friday.

Bailey will beryllium seeking accusation astir nan black-box algorithm that powers Google hunt — which has travel nether occurrence from Donald Trump starring up to nan predetermination for yielding mostly antagonistic articles astir nan Republican statesmanlike candidate.

“Evidence has travel to ray that Google is deemphasizing blimpish reside aliases contented — specified arsenic putting blimpish reporting connected Page 11 alternatively than Page 1 – by manipulating hunt results,” nan spokesperson said.

“Google is nan largest hunt motor successful America and has an responsibility to consumers to utilize adjacent business practice,” nan spokesperson added. “We will beryllium subpoenaing accusation connected Google’s algorithms and different systems to find whether they are censoring blimpish speech.”

Bailey accused Google of “waging warfare connected nan antiauthoritarian process” successful an X station announcing nan probe connected Thursday.

“I americium launching an investigation into Google — nan biggest hunt motor successful America — for censoring blimpish reside during nan astir consequential predetermination successful our nation’s history,” Bailey wrote.

A Google spokesperson said nan Missouri lawyer general’s “claims are wholly false.”

“Independent studies person confirmed that Google Search is nonpartisan,” nan spokesperson said successful a statement. “Search serves each our users, and our business rests connected showing useful accusation to everyone – nary matter what their governmental beliefs are.”

Trump and different Republicans person alleged for years that Google suppresses blimpish voices. Scrutiny ramped up aft nan “autofill” characteristic of Google’s hunt motor appeared to omit results related to nan attempted assassination of Trump astatine a Pennsylvania rally connected July 13.

In August, nan Republican-led House Oversight Committee demanded accusation from Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding whether their platforms had suppressed accusation astir nan incident.

The sheet besides sought accusation astir nan soul workings of Google’s hunt algorithm.

Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) asked Pichai to supply specifications connected really nan hunt tool’s autocomplete characteristic incorporates newsworthy events and whether it tries to “avoid query results that Google desires to limit aliases preclude because it views them to beryllium harmful aliases dangerous.”

Google denied wrongdoing and said accusation astir nan Trump assassination effort did not initially look because of “built-in protections related to governmental violence” that were retired of date.

Trump straight accused Google of bias successful a Sept. 27 station connected Truth Social – and indicated he would activity to prosecute nan institution if he takes office.

Trump posted 1 time aft nan Media Research Center, a blimpish watchdog, published an study asserting that hunt results for Harris’s run website were placed successful much salient location than nan charismatic tract for Trump.

The group besides claimed that Google placed articles pinch a “leftist bias” atop hunt results for Trump.

“It has been wished that Google has illegally utilized a strategy of only revealing and displaying bad stories astir Donald J. Trump, immoderate made up for this intent while, astatine nan aforesaid time, only revealing bully stories astir Comrade Kamala Harris,” Trump wrote astatine nan time.

“This is an forbidden activity, and hopefully nan Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant interference of elections,” Trump said. “If not, and taxable to nan laws of our country, I will petition their prosecution, astatine nan maximum levels, erstwhile I triumph nan election, and go president of nan United States.”