Google confirms leaked research documents are real

A collection of 2,500 leaked internal documents from Google, filled with details about data collected by the company, are authentic, the company confirmed today. Until now, Google had refused to comment on these documents.

The documents in question detail the data that Google tracks, some of which may be used in its closely monitored search ranking algorithm. The documents offer an unprecedented – if still obscure – glimpse into the underbelly of one of the most consequential systems shaping the web.

“We advise against making inaccurate assumptions about search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information,” Google spokesperson Davis Thompson said. The edge in an email. “We have shared a lot of information about how research works and the types of factors our systems take into account, while striving to protect the integrity of our results from manipulation.”

The existence of the leaked documents was first highlighted by search engine optimization (SEO) experts Rand Fishkin and Mike King, who each published initial analyzes of the documents and their contents earlier this week. Google did not respond The edgeYesterday, we received several requests for comment on the authenticity of the leak.

The leaked documents suggest that Google potentially collects and uses data that company representatives say does not contribute to the ranking of web pages in Google Search, such as clicks, Chrome user data, and more. The thousands of pages of documents serve as a repository of information for Google employees, but it’s unclear what detailed data is actually used to rank search content – the information could be outdated, used only for search purposes. training or collected, but not used specifically for research. The documents also do not reveal how different elements are weighted in the search, if at all.

However, the information made public is likely to cause repercussions in the search engine optimization (SEO), marketing and publishing industries. Google is typically very secretive about how its search algorithm works, but these documents — along with recent testimony in the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust case — have brought more clarity to what signals Google is thinking about when it searches. is about ranking websites.

The choices Google makes in search have a profound impact on everyone who uses the web for business, from small independent publishers to restaurants to online stores. In turn, an industry of people hoping to crack the code or outsmart the algorithm has emerged, providing sometimes contradictory answers. Google’s blurring and hashing of words hasn’t helped, but the influx of internal documents at least offers an idea of ​​what the company that dominates the web is thinking.