Web Site Files Complaint Against Google

[Dave_Z]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/17/D8GDKG900.html

Google Inc.'s mysterious methods for ranking Web sites came under attack Friday in a lawsuit accusing the online search engine leader of ruining scores of Internet businesses that have been wrongfully banished from its index.

The civil complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose by KinderStart.com, seeks to be certified as a class action representing the owners of all Web sites blacklisted by Google's Internet-leading search engine since January 2001.

KinderStart, a Norwalk-based Web site devoted to information about children, says it was dropped from Google's index a year ago without warning.

"The world is becoming increasingly 'Googlized,'" said Gregory Yu, a lawyer for KinderStart. "For most people, that has been a good thing, but not for everyone."

A Google spokesman said the company hadn't seen the suit and had no immediate comment.

KinderStart alleges Google has engaged in anticompetitive behavior and misled the public by positioning its search engine as an objective source for finding Internet content. The suit seeks unspecified financial damages and a court order that would require Google to change its ways.

The case aims at Google's heart _ its tightly guarded formula for ranking Web sites.

One funny part about this fiasco is kinderstart is listed in google. This makes it
a good candidate for the infamous Stella Awards. :D

 

[mstocker]

Yea, but could they have added it back to cover up?

 

[dan_Vt]

Think this might result in Google not blacklisting anyone, and instead just dumping everyone that would have been blacklisted to the very bottom of their searches? After all, there isn't much difference. Nobody does a search and then has the patience to click down to the hundredth page to find a site.

At least then noboy could sue Google for blacklisting.

 

[fonzie_007]

Google's going to get the good ole steamroller out for this case.