Former US President Donald Trump has threatened to prosecute Google if he wins the 2024 election, accusing the tech giant of manipulating search results to favor Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump alleged that Google operates an "illegal" system that prioritizes negative stories about him while highlighting only favorable coverage of Harris.
He did not cite a specific law but warned that, if elected, he would urge the US Department of Justice to prosecute Google for what he called "blatant interference" in the election.
"This is ILLEGAL ACTIVITY," Trump said.
"I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the Election and become President of the United States!," he added.
Trump's remarks appear to be tied to a study by the conservative Media Research Center, which claims that Google's search algorithm disproportionately benefits Harris over Trump, Washington-based USA Today reported.
The study, which was covered by outlets like Fox News and the New York Post, focused on a search conducted on Sept. 6, 2024, for "Donald Trump presidential race 2024."
It found that the "Top Stories" section displayed seven articles from what the group described as left-leaning outlets, such as the New York Times and Politico, before linking to Trump's campaign website.
Google has denied these accusations.
A spokesperson for the company, who wants to stay anonymous, stated that search results reflect the constantly changing content available on the web and are not manipulated to favor any candidate.
The spokesperson added that the Media Research Center's study examined a single search term on one particular day, noting that both Trump and Harris's campaign websites ranked in the top results.
