Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday said he would be open to regulating Google over its alleged anti-conservative bias in search results if elected president.
In light of concerns about Google’s potential electoral influence through its content manipulation, DeSantis said he may explore the idea of establishing an equal playing field through regulation in an interview with Media Research Center founder Brent Bozell. The effects of Big Tech using its power to help a particular party could have a far greater impact on elections than some traditionally classified campaign contributions, DeSantis asserted. (RELATED: Is CCP-Linked TikTok Influencing American Youth To Be Anti-Israel?)
Election Interference Bias in Google Search Results
Google’s search engine is showing bias in promoting Democratic campaign websites over Republican ones.
MRC researchers performed various searches revealing inconsistent results for GOP candidates.@theMRC pic.twitter.com/lFYkNwzLv4
— UngaTheGreat (@UngaTheGreat) September 27, 2023
“Couldn’t you say that [Google search result manipulations] are illegal campaign contributions?” Bozell asked.
“If somebody wanted to rent a restaurant out and invite me to come give a speech, that would have to be reported as a campaign contribution,” DeSantis responded. “You would not just be able to do that. So the question is if that’s the case, manipulating a massive online platform to benefit one party over another, how would that be less significant in terms of contribution than somebody just going to rent a restaurant, inviting friends and asking a candidate like me to come and speak?”
During the night of the first Republican National Committee (RNC) presidential debate in August, no Republican campaign websites appeared on the first page of Google’s search results, while those of Democrats such as President Joe Biden and Marianne Williamson did, Bozell asserted.
“So is it something a President DeSantis would be looking at?” Bozell asked
“Yeah we could,” DeSantis answered. “You would have to do it in a way that was principled, which I think you could, and that was making sure everyone was treated equally. But I think that these guys have gotten a pass. I do think they’re using corporate resources to be able to influence elections and that is not something you can do without reporting under our system.”
Republicans have accused Google of bias towards conservatives in its content moderation.
Google-owned YouTube’s algorithm behind recommended user content skews left, according to a study published in academic journal PNAS Nexus. Furthermore, YouTube competitor Rumble accused Google of suppressing the visibility of its livestream during the first RNC debate, The Intercept reported.
The DeSantis campaign and Google did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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