Dr. Robert Epstein: Study claims Google reflected 'very dramatic bias' in 2016 election search results
Dr. Robert Epstein: Study claims Google
reflected 'very dramatic bias' in 2016 election search results
By Charles Creitz September 8, 2019
Google
allegedly offered search results during the 2016 election season that
manipulated voters in Hillary Clinton's favor,
according to researcher Dr. Robert Epstein.
The study
looked into "politically oriented searches" from a "diverse
group of American voters," Epstein said in an interview airing Sunday on "Life, Liberty & Levin."
"In 2016, I set up the
first-ever monitoring system that allowed me to look over the shoulders of
a diverse group of American voters -- there were 95 people in 24 states,"
he said.
"I looked at politically
oriented searches that these people were conducting on Google,
Bing and Yahoo. I was able to preserve more than 13,000 searches and
98,000 web pages, and I found very dramatic bias in Google's search results...
favoring Hillary Clinton -- whom I supported strongly."
Regarding the specific
results of his study, Epstein claimed the findings showed what he called a
sizable bias.
"That level of bias was
sufficient, I calculated, to have shifted over time somewhere between 2.6
and 10.4 million votes to Hillary without anyone knowing that this had
occurred," he claimed.
Wow,
Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for
Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not
a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than
thought! @JudicialWatch
In response, host Mark Levin asked how
such bias could materialize.
Epstein said people searching
Google for politically relevant or election-related information will see
search suggestions pop up as they type, and also see a number of top searches
on the first page of their results. He claimed the alleged bias manifested
itself largely within those two areas.
"We now know that those
search suggestions have a very, very powerful effect on people and that they
alone can shift opinions and votes dramatically and then search results appear
below," he said.
"The point is if there's
a bias in them -- which means if a search result that's high up on the
list, if that takes you to a web page that makes one candidate look better than
another -- if you're undecided and you're trying to make up your mind, what
we've learned is that information posted high in Google search results will
shift opinions among undecided people dramatically because people trust
Google."
However, last month Clinton -- the
2016 Democratic presidential nominee -- criticized President Trump for citing Epstein's study,
claiming it has been "debunked."
"The debunked study
you’re referring to was based on 21 undecided voters," she said.
"For context that’s
about half the number of people associated with your campaign who have been
indicted."
The debunked study you’re referring to was
based on 21 undecided voters. For context that’s about half the number of
people associated with your campaign who have been indicted. twitter.com/realDonaldTrum…
Clinton's response was spurred by a
presidential tweet highlighting the fact Epstein supported the former secretary
of state's candidacy and claiming Google should be taken to court.
"Report just out! Google
manipulated from the 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton
in 2016 election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump
Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than
thought!" the president's full tweet read.
Fox News' Joseph Wulfsohn
contributed to this report.
The
published research paper………
The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the
outcomes of elections
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