The internet took flight on the ethos of freedom from authority and propaganda, carried by the insatiable drive of human beings to know. That internet took a turn.

By Jeffrey A. Tucker | Published by The Epoch Times

Summary

You have likely noticed that Google searches are no longer what they once were. Or perhaps you haven’t, and that’s precisely the intention. For many years, we entrusted Google to provide consensus results based on the principle of crowd-sourced credibility. While imperfect, the system functioned reasonably well.

Previously, Google’s search ranking was determined by a website’s status, which itself was based on factors such as user engagement, inbound links from other sites, and consistent traffic generation. As part of this, website optimization techniques like employing relevant keywords, sitemaps, clean structure, and stable links could help improve search rankings. An entire industry emerged to assist in cracking this code.

However, that system is now officially obsolete. What you see in search results today is what those in power want you to see. They are in control, and they handpick results based on political and cultural issues that permeate nearly everything.

It’s challenging to pinpoint precisely when the shift occurred, but sometime within the past year or two, the new system became codified. The new search results are not grounded in user experience but rather in what some authority deems you should know. That authority is the familiar coterie, some amorphous bureaucrats potentially influenced by political agendas or perhaps deep-state agents themselves. Regardless, what you see is now what some authority wants you to see. This is not an accident.

One can trace the tragic transition from the past to the present by following the trajectory of various declarations issued over the years…

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