Google Experiencing 'Biggest Leaks' After 2,500 Internal Documents Revealed

Google has suffered a major leak after 2,500 internal documents (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - Google has suffered a major leak after 2,500 internal documents appeared online, revealing how their algorithms decide what users are seeing. The documents show that the system that defines the page ranking in search results focuses more on the number of clicks the site receives than how reliable the source is.

According to SEO expert Rand Fishkin, this could push fake news sites or misleading stories into the top of Google's search, causing people to get caught up in receiving less trusted information.

Google has previously denied using click-through rates (CTR) to improve algorithm results. A Google Search team analyst said in a Reddit post that it was "just made up nonsense."

Fishkin, who worked in SEO for more than a decade, released an initial review of the document sent to him on Monday 27 May from an anonymous source. Mike King, SEO expert and founder of iPulRank, wrote in his analysis that "lies" is the right word to describe this situation.

The Google algorithm considers several factors when displaying search results including words used in queries, page relevance, source expertise, and user location, according to its website. However, Fishkin reported that the algorithm reportedly produced results by focusing on the number of clicks the site received to measure its success, Chrome data, domain authority, and author's name.

DailyMail.com has not been able to independently verify documents, but the company appears to confirm that the document is valid, although they claim the document is no longer relevant.

"We will warn against making inaccurate assumptions about searches based on incomplete, obsolete, or out of context information," a Google spokesperson said.

Google allegedly uses NavBoost - a system that focuses heavily on click data to upgrade and improve results - and includes information about short clicks on sites compared to users who live longer on pages. This could be bad for future presidential elections by allowing fake news to develop.

Google has also denied using this method in the past, telling The Wall Street Journal in 2019: "Our system aims to provide relevant results from authoritative sources," adding that organic search results alone "does not represent the information created accessible through search."

If the document is accurate and the search algorithm relies on CTR, it could have a bad impact on upcoming presidential elections as people turn to Google to get additional information about candidates.

Fishkin warns that if Google's results appear on a propaganda site based on a link click, it could lead to tensions and violence similar to false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump that caused thousands of people to storm the Capitol on January 6.