A running argument is going on between Google and Twitter over how relevant Google’s search results are.
Google+ pages are showing up more frequently in the company’s search results. Some are arguing the company is pushing its social network through its search engine. Twitter argues that, by preferring Google+ results, Google is not providing the most relevant social search results. Google’s response to this accusation is that Twitter does not provide Google with adequate permission to do so.
Twitter’s counsel, Alex Macgillivray, tweeted an example of Google’s new results that attempted to prove Google’s inefficiency. Using the “@” symbol, he searched for the term “@WWE”, which did not yield the organization’s Twitter page.
Google responded that it has never indexed the “@” symbol, which means the company has never recognized a Twitter handle when it was formatted that way.
Searching for “WWE Twitter” yields the organization’s Twitter page before Google+ results and “@WWE” gives the same results as a search for “WWE”. Searching for “+WWE” brings up a Google+ profile.
As mashable.com points out, it is strange that in five years Google has never acknowledged Twitter handles. It also points out, though, that both Twitter and Facebook have not made it easy for the search engine to delve into their websites.
What does this mean for consumer protection? Consumers expect the most relevant results from Google, not the results that Google prefers. Time will show which is more important to the company.
Sarelson Law Firm – Miami litigation attorneys