Has Google Been Compromised?

- jim Young

"Something is rotten in the state of Washington, D.C." - with apologies to William Shakespeare

In trying to help do my part in fighting Trump's tariffs, I try to make certain I am purchasing as many "Made In Canada" products as I can.

So when I make my shopping list at home I will check out the country of origin of as many products as I can and make a little note in my list to let me know if my usual favourite brands are okay to purchase. This saves me time as I don't have to look for country of origin labels when I shop.

Google has a relatively new feature called "AI Overview" which I believe checks several sites against your question and provides you a summary for your answer. I wouldn't rely on it too much for serious fact checking, but it can be very handy when you are just looking for a quick answer.

However when I asked the question "Is Prego spaghetti sauce MADE in Canada?" The response from AI Overview was "Yes, Prego pasta sauce is AVAILABLE in Canada."

Click on image to enlarge.

Well that's not really what I asked was it?

So I tried to reword the question. "Is Prego spaghetti sauce MANUFACTURED in Canada?" Google's reply this time was "Yes, Prego pasta sauce is PREPARED in Canada."

Click on image to enlarge.

Well that's a little closer, but it still didn't give me the whole story.

When I can't find an item I want that is made in Canada by a Canadian Company with Canadian raw materials, I will look for a substitute that has as much Canadian content as possible. So if I can't find another suitable brand for pasta sauce tomorrow in the grocery store that meets my ideal criteria, this might be an acceptable choice. 

Or will it?

I still wasn't convinced and if you notice the explanation given beneath the answer to my question you will see the note that "Prego is a brand of pasta sauce that is owned by Campbell Soup Company."

I thought I would give it one more shot so this time I asked Google "Are Campbell Soup Products made in Canada" to which Google finally admitted "No, Campbell Soup products are not made in Canada, as Campbell's closed its only Canadian factory in 2018."

Click on image to enlarge.

And There It Is! The Heinz Ketchup saga all over again.

But why should it take me three attempts to get Google to admit the truth?

It makes me wonder if perhaps Google has been compromised or is being pressured by the Trump administration to try to trick Canadians into buying U.S. Products.

Please Donald, don't insult my intelligence.

And If anyone doesn't think students should be assigned homework by their teachers, please consider that learning how to “do your homework” may very well be an important life’s lesson.

- 30 -

 

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