A substantial leak of internal documents from Google has unveiled details about how the company, led by Sundar Pichai, collects user data to rank webpages. The Verge confirmed that these documents are authentic after Google initially refused to comment on the matter.
According to the report, SEO expert Rand Fishkin, who has over a decade of experience, disclosed that a source gave him 2,500 pages of documents. The source’s intention was to debunk the alleged misinformation spread by Google employees regarding the search algorithm. Fishkin stated that these documents contain details about Google’s search API and the specific information accessible to its employees.
SEO expert Mike King voiced concerns in a blog post, stating, “I take issue with their efforts to actively discredit people in the marketing, tech, and journalism worlds who have presented reproducible discoveries.”
Google spokesperson Davis Thompson responded to the leak, cautioning, “We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information. Google has shared extensive information about how Search works and the types of factors that our systems weigh, while also working to protect the integrity of our results from manipulation.”
The leaked documents suggest that Google collects data that could impact the SEO, marketing, and publishing industries, contradicting the company’s public stance. Although Google claims it does not use extensive user data like Chrome user data and clicks to rank webpages in Search, the documents indicate the tech giant’s approach to sensitive topics such as elections and its handling of small websites.
Read all the World News, Business News, Sports News, Entertainment News, Business News and Opinion here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
