A new article on Search Engine Journal reports that Google is reportedly planning an algorithm change targeting content that makes unverified or slanderous claims about other people.



A New York Times report states that Google is planning on changing its algorithm to demote websites that publish unverified or slanderous claims about other people. Recent New York Times articles have documented how websites build businesses by preying on victims of slander:

Google's algorithm changes will prevent these predatory websites from surfacing in search results when a person's name is searched for. Google also has a concept called "known victims" that aims to protect victims of slander from being targeted multiple times.

According to the New York Times, Google was unaware of an ongoing problem with "slander-peddling" websites in its search results until it was brought to the company's attention this year. In the past, policies were in place that enabled individuals to request the removal of slanderous pages from search results. Successful removals led to a demotion signal for sites publishing said content.

Pandu Nayak is Vice President of Google Search and recently confirmed that in a blog post where he stated the New York Times managed to highlight the search engine's limitations. He also explained the aim of the new algorithm: