Google Faces Backlash Over Search Result Omissions for Trump Assassination Attempt

Google Faces Backlash Over Search Result Omissions for Trump Assassination Attempt

Edited by: Fern Sidman

Recently, Google users were left frustrated when searching for information about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13, as the desired results failed to appear on the search engine, according to a report on Sunday on the FOX Business web site. Instead, the autocomplete feature redirected users to unrelated historical events, sparking criticism and allegations of bias from social media users.

As was reported by FOX Business, screenshots shared on social media revealed that instead of providing relevant information about the Trump incident, Google’s autocomplete suggestions included the failed assassination of Ronald Reagan, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the shooting of Bob Marley, and the failed attempt on former President Gerald Ford. Even when users typed in “Trump assassination attempt,” Google did not offer any additional search terms, which led to further frustration.

The incident quickly garnered attention and criticism, particularly from conservative voices who accused Google of attempting to influence the upcoming presidential election. According to the information provided in the FOX Business report, Donald Trump Jr. took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his outrage: “Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris. We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable.”

In response to the backlash, a Google spokesperson told FOX Business that there was no “manual action taken on these predictions.” The spokesperson explained that Google’s systems have built-in protections against autocomplete predictions associated with political violence, which were functioning as intended before the attempted assassination of Trump. “We’re working on improvements to ensure our systems are more up to date,” the spokesperson added, as was indicated in the FOX Business report.

The FOX Business report indicated that Google defended its autocomplete feature, describing it as “just a tool to help people save time” and emphasized that users can still search for any information they want manually. “Following this terrible act, people turned to Google to find high-quality information – we connected them with helpful results, and will continue to do so,” the company stated.

This incident is not the first time that Big Tech companies, including Google, have faced accusations of bias and censorship from conservative circles. As was explained in the FOX Business report, in the past, conservatives have claimed that these companies silence conservative voices and omit search results that could be damaging to Democratic figures. The ongoing debate over Big Tech’s role in shaping public discourse and information access continues to be a contentious issue, especially in the politically charged environment leading up to elections.

Moving forward, it will be crucial for Google and other Big Tech companies to address these concerns and find a balance between automated systems designed to protect users and the need for timely, relevant information on significant events. The ongoing scrutiny from both the public and political figures will likely shape the future development of these platforms and their role in the information ecosystem.