Staff Reports
The latest revelation to emerge from the tech world is that Google seems intent on rewriting recent history, particularly when it comes to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. This latest episode in Silicon Valley shenanigans has raised eyebrows and incited chuckles among conservatives, who are all too familiar with their favorite search engine’s tendency to play a little fast and loose with the truth.
On July 13, when an attempted shooting on Trump sent shockwaves through the nation, one would expect Google to be at the forefront of delivering information. Yet, when individuals started typing “assassination attempt” into Google’s search bar, the algorithm acted as if it were allergic to anything pertaining to Trump. Instead, it suggested results related to Harry Truman, which was a strangely nostalgic choice given the gravity of the event. Elon Musk caught onto this curious strategy and pointed out what many were already suspecting: Google appears to be engaging in a bit of political chicanery.
Former President Donald Trump accused Facebook and Google of censoring news of his assassination attempt, saying it's an attempt to rig the election. https://t.co/Ridlbb6ieK
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 30, 2024
Musk expressed his bewilderment at this apparent search ban, hinting that it could be a form of election interference. After all, when the public interest is piqued following a historic event, it’s hard to justify why a search engine might choose to mute the conversation. After a wave of anger from users, Google hastily announced that this was merely a glitch in their autocomplete feature, conveniently claiming that “no manual action” had been taken to suppress results. In an eye-roll-inducing spin, Google insisted that they were committed to connecting users with “helpful results.” But one has to wonder—helpful for whom?
Days later, as pressure mounted, Google finally acquiesced and adjusted their search suggestions to acknowledge the truth, finally including “assassination attempt on Trump” in their results. The timing of this correction, particularly in light of the backlash, raises questions about how much influence public outrage can have over a tech giant’s editorial choices. One might say this move smells a lot like desperation to avoid further scrutiny and potential scandal.
But it doesn’t stop at Google. Facebook has also faced its own share of criticism for allegedly censoring the widely circulated image of Trump post-shooting, claiming it was flagged as misinformation. President Trump took to his own platform, Truth Social, to voice his disdain for this censorship, reminding the world that both tech behemoths are, at their core, run by left-leaning individuals. It’s a convenient little club where the rules seem to change depending on the political climate.
In the age of digital information, the concept of a “memory hole” is no longer just a literary device from George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, 1984. It seems that tech companies have taken Orwell’s cautionary tale to heart, but rather than a warning, it has become their operational playbook. As the media promotes figures like Kamala Harris to distract from glaring inconsistencies, it seems that Google and Facebook are willing participants in the effort to manipulate the narrative and control the digital landscape. Where will this stop? That’s a future even Google might struggle to suppress.
