Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and distorts how we see

Re:Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and dis... by MustrumRidcully on Sunday December 11, 2016 @04:21PM (#13153340)

Google is a search engine of indexed webpages. Not a universal delivery machine of the TRUTH (tm) nor an annex of your brain.

Besides, this kind of debate is one step away from lyssenkism where only google-friendly opinions will be displayed. If you fight for freedom of speech only in the case of opinions that you like, then it's not freedom of speech.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and dis... by adevine on Sunday December 11, 2016 @06:16PM (#13154073)

> If you fight for freedom of speech only in the case of opinions that you like, then it's not freedom of speech.

The fact that the Holocaust happened is not an opinion.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and dis... by prodigal_erik on Sunday December 11, 2016 @07:04PM (#13154379)

If we let society keep a list of facts that may not be questioned, it will inevitably have crap like "the sun orbits the earth" and "a god named zeus created the universe" that need to be questioned.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and dis... by daveFNbuck on Sunday December 11, 2016 @07:15PM (#13154440)

There's a difference between not allowing dissent and promoting wrong answers.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and dis... by prodigal_erik on Sunday December 11, 2016 @07:34PM (#13154545)

When you declare an answer to be wrong and suppress it, the only difference is whether you go on to murder/imprison/exile the heretic or merely silence them.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Google is not just a platform – It frames, shapes and dis... by daveFNbuck on Monday December 12, 2016 @01:58AM (#13156182)

I think the difference between murdering someone and not putting their website at the top of a search result page is pretty significant. That the Holocaust happened is a fact. Giving correct responses to factual queries should not be a controversial goal.

When I type 5 + 6 into Google search, are people being oppressed when the top result is 11? Would this be similar to murdering ideological opponents if my page declaring the answer to be 13 wasn't at or near the top of the results?

[ Parent | on HN ]