Google Accused of "Cooking" Search Results and Charging MSFT Too Much

A reader writes "Google is being scrutinized by the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee for supposedly 'cooking' their search results. In an independent study comparing search results for products, Google Shopping consistently ranked 3rd. Eric Scmidt denied these accusations at a Senate hearing Wednesday." On top of all that, Microsoft is alleging that Google overcharges them as much as fifty-fold for advertising prices as compared to other buyers.

Google overcharges Microsoft?

[microphage]

`On top of all that, Microsoft is alleging that Google overcharges them as much as fifty-fold for advertising prices as compared to other buyers', samzenpus

Take notice of the exact phrasiology eminating out of RedMond.

Google “shouldn’t be permitted to pursue practices that restrict others from innovating and offering competitive alternatives .. That’s what it’s doing now”, Jack Evans - Microsoft link [businessweek.com]

Re:What you call optimize, they call cooking?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd hate to say this, but company $A having an algorithm that might be tuned however they damn well please does not constitute cooking... unless, there is a master defined algorithm that every search provider must follow. Yes... I can see the goose-stepping algorithm enforcement brigades now.

Now, are we going to start with the "In Soviet America Jokes", or are we going to just define the algorithm Führer and get over with it?

No, no, no. This isn't Nazi Germany, this is America! We have algorithm czars !

Context

[Quiet_Desperation]

Google was accused of cheating a client today.

Those bastards!

The client in question was none other than Microsoft.

Those magnificent bastards!