There are a number of people whose reputations have been damaged from the things people have said or done. Many of these people’s reputations have been damaged online, and it’s pretty easy to see how it could be with today’s online technology. But unless your reputation hasn’t been affected negatively online, then you probably haven’t thought about whether search engines could be responsible. It makes sense, as we usually see websites and social media posts created by other people that are merely displayed by search engines.
We can see how specific posts on Facebook or Twitter, or pages on a website could hurt us, but could Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines bear some of the responsibility if the results they bring harm you? With the specific posts and pages, it’s easy to see how it could directly be damaging. After all, it takes intent to create the content specifically meant to harm, lie, or misrepresent you. After involving the internet though, the complexity of the situation increases quite fast.
It’s believed that, despite the intention of specific, damaging content that is meant to do harm to a specific person or group of people, it’s that the role of search engines are actually helping to exacerbate the issue. The search engines are actually bringing that content to more people, causing more harm than good. Chris Silver Smith has a post where he discusses the legal issues surrounding online defamation, and how search engines could be playing a role in making it worse.
Check out Chris’ post by following the link below to read more.
Search Engine Land: Are Search Engines Responsible For Reputation? Yes, Virginia, They Are. Big Time!