(03-18-2024, 06:05 PM)MyBloodIsTeal Wrote: This is not even in the same realm as "promoting a candidate".  They are suppressing search results to hinder peoples ability to make informed decisions.  That is not promoting, it is meddling in an election.

Google is not a public utility.
However,
If you bought an ad with them and found out they were demoting your stuff, you could win HUGE in a court case if you had proof.  That would be textbook fraud.  That's regardless of if you're a business or a charity or a political candidate.

If you tried to buy an ad with Google and they said, "no, we aren't going to promote that idea or candidate even if you pay us", you could take the letter they sent you over to any news organization and create a PR problem for Google.

There are laws against telling a customer you're doing one thing and doing another. There are not laws against promoting and demoting certain websites in general though.

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