The Problem With Google

Google has a trust problem that extends beyond AI hallucinations

Happy Thursday!

Anti-Google sentiment is high right now after the controversial rollout of version 2.0 of their AI tool Gemini (f/k/a Bard). And it’s well earned, if we’re being honest. No Google service should be trusted, whether from a privacy perspective or an accuracy of information perspective.

As most of our readers likely already know, Google search results are highly filtered and curated. They’re effectively an editorial section of a partisan newspaper. This has been the case for quite some time. The problem was just harder to notice in text based search since humans are primarily visual creatures.

Gemini’s historically inaccurate image hallucinations of people and events presented Google’s trust and accuracy problem in a highly visual manner and to such an extent that it couldn’t be ignored. Google’s in damage control right now. They need to keep the general population from making the reasonable assumption that if Gemini is untrustworthy, Google search is as well.

This is a variation of the Gell-Mann Effect popularized by novelist Michael Crichton. In this case, most people will agree that Gemini is untrustworthy, but then go and use Google search without questioning the accuracy and trustworthiness of the results. Background on the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect here.

Will it matter to Google in the long run? Time will tell. Google’s search dominance is hard to overstate and hard to break. There are a few key reasons for this:

1. People are reluctant to change habits. They got used to Google and are unwilling to put in the effort to change to a different search engine.

2. Google Chrome web browser dominance, which is now at 63% (source)

3. Android mobile OS dominance, which is now at about 71% worldwide (source)

4. Google has a strategic alliance with Apple to make Google the default search engine on Apple devices (source)

Google has stacked the deck against the general population in its favor. Even if you don’t use an Android phone, your default search engine on Apple devices is Google! So Google effectively has a 99.9% market share on mobile devices unless a user actively switches the default search engine. Most obviously don’t make the switch since the actual mobile search market share for Google is about 95% (source).

A full how to guide on divesting from Google services is beyond the scope of this post. But an easy place to start is by not using Google Search. In this post, we’ll go through the privacy reasons to ditch Google search, how to do that on your desktop and phone and list some privacy friendly Google search alternatives at the end.

If you want a quick resource for Google alternatives, you can check out our personal privacy stack here.

Privacy Reasons to Ditch Google Search

Aside from the trust and accuracy reasons for ditching Google search, switching from a mainstream search engine like Google to a privacy-focused search engine can provide several significant privacy benefits. These benefits stem from the privacy-oriented practices and features of alternative search engines, designed to minimize data collection, protect user identities, and offer a more private search experience. Here are some key privacy benefits of making the switch: