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Google forced to explain how search works to Elon Musk after he cried bias on Election Day
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Google forced to explain how search works to Elon Musk after he cried bias on Election Day

Elon Musk joined a chorus of conservative social media accounts, reinforcing claims that Google was providing users with information about how to vote for Kamala Harris but not for her rival.

The tech billionaire reposted a tweet from the account of a graphic designer called DogeDesigner, claiming that Google “shows a ‘Where to Vote’ section with a map for Kamala Harris, but not for Donald Trump.” The post also falsely claimed that Google was the largest donor to the Democratic Party. (Investment firm Bain Capital is donating more, according to OpenSecrets.)

“Do others see this too?” Musk asked his more than 200 million followers.

He responded to another similar post with a curious, raised eyebrow emoji.

The implication was clear. Musk, the richest man in the world and owner of spent more than $132 million to support Trump and other conservative causes in this election, seemed to suggest that a tech giant was trying to influence the election.

Google responded quickly to the complaints.

“The ‘Where to Vote’ sign triggers some specific searches because Harris is also the name of a county in Texas,” the company wrote on X, from Musk’s home base in Texas. “This also happens for ‘Vance,’ because that’s also the name of a county. The fix is ​​coming. Note that very few people actually search for polling places this way.

“It is now fixed,” the company later said explainprompting Musk to answer“Thanks for the clarification.”

The exchange doesn’t appear to have convinced some in Musk’s online orbit.

Valentina Gomez, a 25-year-old Republican who briefly went viral for a series of homophobic remarks during an unsuccessful campaign for Missouri’s secretary of state, said in response to Musk: “It’s a stupid lie and they’re rushing to fix it because we caught them interfering in an election for the Democratic Party. »

Google quickly clarified that Musk's reposted claims were misunderstandings about search results in Harris County, Texas (The Joe Rogan Experience)Google quickly clarified that Musk's reposted claims were misunderstandings about search results in Harris County, Texas (The Joe Rogan Experience)

Google quickly clarified that Musk’s reposted claims were misunderstandings about search results in Harris County, Texas (The Joe Rogan Experience)

Critics say it’s Musk trying to reduce his influence over the election.

At the end of October, a lawsuit filed by the Philadelphia prosecutor accused billionaire for running an “illegal lottery scheme” by giving swing state voters who signed a Musk PAC petition supporting conservative causes the chance to randomly win $1 million in a drawing daily fate.

In court Monday, a lawyer for the PAC admitted that sweepstakes winners were not selected at random, but rather deliberately chosen to be paid “spokespeople” for the group.

Attorney Chris Gober told a judge in Philadelphia on Monday that there is “no prize to be won” and that recipients “rather must fulfill their contractual obligations” on behalf of the PAC.

Musk argues the prize is not linked to mobilizing Republican voters for Trump, but rather to rallying supporters of a “petition in favor of the Constitution of the United States, and in particular freedom of expression and the right to bear arms.”