How Google Alters Search Queries to Get at Your Wallet

DJDarren@thelemmy.club to Technology@lemmy.world – 128 points –
How Google Alters Search Queries to Get at Your Wallet
wired.com
15

This is worse than what the title says. It doesn't after the search results. It changes the search terms you inputed.

It completely deletes what you put, to replace it (without anyone noticing it) with similar search words, but to get money from a brand or make you buy from that brand.

And when you buy or click on links, Google makes money because advertising and partnership.

Say you search for “children’s clothing.” Google converts it, without your knowledge, to a search for “NIKOLAI-brand kidswear,” making a behind-the-scenes substitution of your actual query with a different query that just happens to generate more money for the company

First, the generated results to the latter query are more likely to be shopping-oriented, triggering your subsequent behavior much like the candy display at a grocery store’s checkout

Second, that latter query will automatically generate the keyword ads placed on the search engine results page by stores like TJ Maxx, which pay Google every time you click on them. In short, it's a guaranteed way to line Google’s pockets.

I never noticed this before, but trying a few random searches does generate links to purchase tangential items. Freaky yet unsurprising from Google.

Using an advertising company for anything and expecting objective results is a bit ridiculous. Use DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, MetaGer, anything but Google.

use duckduckgo.com.

You mean https://duckduckgo.com?

The first thing I change when I open up a new browser for the first time is change the default search from Google to DDG.

Don't use duckduck.com it may not lead to the expected result.

It offers better results to me than Google does. Especially the image search.

IMHO the only controversial thing is that duckduckgo also lists reddit posts - which I'd actually like to avoid.

I'm not talking about duckduckgo. Don't use duckduck.com. Use duckduckgo.com

And for reddit posts, as much as I want Lemmy to succeed, I cannot ignore reddit.

Sometimes an answer I'm looking for is there hidded between useless comments (if it hasn't been deleted or overwritten by the user).

  1. Why?

  2. Google sure as hell does not lead to the desired result, so don’t use that?

You did not understood what I said lol. Don't use duckduck.com. Use duckduckgo.com

for fucks sake this damn autocorrect. sorry yeah of course I meant duckduckgo 😅

StarPage and Brave Search is also good.

Use Kagi

The only way to be sure your search is working for you and not advertisers, is to be the one that pays for it.

Even DuckDuckGo is still based on ad's.