The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would explore regulating Google — an effort that would challenge protections around free speech online — in response to the president’s allegations that the tech giant manipulates its search results to prominently display negative stories about him and other Republicans.
President Trump in a pre-dawn tweet claimed that search returns for “Trump News” were “RIGGED for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD,” apparently responding to a report from Fox News. Then, his top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said the White House is now “taking a look” at whether, and how, Google should be regulated by the government.
In the United States, regulating search results could violate the First Amendment, said lawmakers from both parties, free-speech advocates and tech experts. The Trump administration’s threat drew rebukes from Democrats and even a few Republicans, who said government shouldn’t play a role in monitoring search results or other content online.