I got an email this morning from Google regarding new Terms of Service that will go into effect next month, May 2024. Here is Paragraph 4 of the new TOS:
- Democracy on the web works.
Google search works because it relies on the millions of individuals posting links on websites to help determine which other sites offer content of value. We assess the importance of every web page using more than 200 signals and a variety of techniques, including our patented PageRank™ algorithm, which analyzes which sites have been “voted” to be the best sources of information by other pages across the web. As the web gets bigger, this approach actually improves, as each new site is another point of information and another vote to be counted. In the same vein, we are active in open source software development, where innovation takes place through the collective effort of many programmers.
So... Google will determine for us what they think is good or bad in terms of web searches and content.... what could POSSIBLY go wrong with that policy?!
Why are they bothering telling us what they have already been doing for years?
Also bear in mind; this is what they say they're doing. They don't mention the various thumbs on the scales, of course.