For donations Click Here

Tricking by Means Google Search

My question relates to google search listings. As far as I know Google returns search results to the user based on ‘tags’ or key words on the web page. My shaila is as follows, let’s say there is a candy store called Shimons Candy that has been operating for many years, and they also have a website to advertise their product and list their location, for example shimons.com. Then Asher opens up a similar store a few blocks away called Ashers Candy, and also creates a website to advertise their product and list their location, and they call it ashercandy.com. What happens next is that Shimon adds the words Ashers Candy to the text of his webpage, but colours the text white so the customer does not see it, but google picks up the text and lists Shimons.com as the more correct search result. ie Shimon has added his competitors name to his website to trick google. When the customer searches for Ashers, Shimons.com comes up first in the list.

Answer:

If the effect would be that a person searching for Ashers will get in to Shimons, there would be a problem of “poaching” customers. In halachic parlance this is called ma’arofia.

As it is, the effect is only that Shimons will appear first on the list.

Because Ashers will also appear on the list, and the customer retains the ability to visit whichever store he wishes, there won’t be a halachic problem in doing this.

There is room to consider if this is ethically proper, but halachically there is no problem.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *