Welp, it’s official: Reddit is blocking all search engines other than Google. This isn’t necessarily bad because, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Reddit to be promoted as a reliable source when searching for “best migraine medications.” That’s just me, I guess.
However, according to 404 Media, Reddit is taking it further. Microsoft has confirmed that Bing can no longer show Reddit results in its “site:reddit.com” search. I tried, and while some Reddit results did pop up, the most recent was from two months ago.
While it’s surprising that Bing can’t get a decent Reddit site or search going, it’s not the only one dealing with this problem. All non-Google search engines and AI bots have been given the cold shoulder. However, aside from not being named Google, these entities all have one thing in common—they’re not paying Reddit.
Earlier this year, Google and Reddit entered a deal allowing the search engine to utilize Reddit’s massive cache of user-generated content to train its AI apps. In a statement to The Verge, Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt said, “This is not at all related to our recent partnership with Google.”
Oh really, Reddit? The deal is good for Google and Reddit, but what about the rest of us?
With this exclusive deal, Google is further tipping the scales in its favor as the top search engine, which according to Stan Ventures is wholly unnecessary. Google currently commands 63.41% of the referral traffic market compared to second-place Bing, which pushes 7.21%. It’s pushing Google into monopoly territory, causing the United States government to bring an anti-trust lawsuit last year.
As a journalist, I’ve seen up close and personal how Google’s influence can change an industry for the worse. Before Google’s stranglehold on search and the e-comm gold rush, Best Pages were nice-to-have articles designed to help readers cut through the noise to quickly and efficiently get buying advice. They were meant to be a supplement to the work journalists already created. But somewhere along the line, the affiliate money got so good the best pages became the priority. Then, throw in Google’s murky, ever-changing algorithms and prioritizations. Most tech journalists spend an inordinate amount of time updating pages while trying to squeeze in the actual work of reporting, reviewing, and opining.
Google made a whole cottage industry of trying to figure out how to play its game; I’m looking at you, SEO wizards. Google has a stranglehold on journalism that needs to be broken because no one company should control what the people see and how they interact with it. Once upon a time, Google’s motto was “Don’t be evil,” which gave way to “Do the right thing” with the creation of Alphabet. Google is grabbing up even more of the search engine pie and isn’t following either of these tenets.
