walkman - 7:11 pm on Sep 21, 2011 (gmt 0)

WOW! Under oath Schmidt couldn't say that the algo is not rigged--even on 'organic' search. "I believe so [that it is not]" he said but his face failed him.
Senator Frank pointed that out and Schmidt didn't clarify it.

Let's read the e-mails, if he lied

Even Danny Sullivan wrote that:

He was taken aback by Marissa’s quote. You answered that you put a map out there when someone wants a map out there and that’s what tehy want. I sort of understand that, or a financial answer, but then the ranking question, you said tat’s not the case, when you’re not putting out the answer peopel want, do all your rankings reflect an unbiased algorithm, and you said, after a little hesitation, “I believe so.”Taht seemed like a pretty fuzzy answer coming to me from the charimn. “If you don’t know, who does? That really bothers me”We’re trying to have a hering here if you favor your own sutff, and you admittedly don’t kow the answer.

[searchengineland.com...]

3.03pm: Sen. Al Franken is on now. "I love Google," he says. Now for a bit of a kicking. Franken says he was "taken aback" by Schmidt's comments earlier.Asked if Google's searches reflect an unbiased algorithm he said, after some hesitation, "I believe so."That seemed like a pretty fuzzy answer coming from the chairman. If you don't know, who does."

[guardian.co.uk...]