Perth businessman Sir Brian Souter is taking on the might of Google to find out why his personal website has been removed from its search engine.
Having previously been one of the first listings when Sir Brian’s name was entered, www.briansouter.com has now disappeared entirely.
It still features highly on other search engines such as Yahoo and Bing, leading the Stagecoach chief executive to believe it has been deliberately de-listed by Google.
Sir Brian has now written to Westminster’s culture, media and sport committee currently investigating the News of the World phone hacking scandal to demand an inquiry into what he feels is Google’s manipulation of the web.
He said no explanation has been given for Google’s move and he has no theory about it but is concerned about its implications for free speech in the UK.
Sir Brian’s PR and web media adviser Gordon Beattie said: “It’s not Google’s place to decide which sites we can see and those we can’t. It amounts to search engine censorship and it does not afford what Google says it is striving to create ‘a good user experience.’
“We wrote to Google on August 22 asking why Sir Brian’s site was no longer listed on the search engine and the mumbled response was algorithm changes. They suggested one tweak to the website, which we immediately made, but to this day his site remains out of bounds on Google searches.
“We find it unacceptable that Google can simply remove an information site like Sir Brian’s from its listings and give no helpful information as to why it has disappeared. We are now asking the question: ‘Is it time legislation was enacted to curb Google’s power over free speech on the internet?’
“We have seen a public outcry over the abuse of power at the News of the World. Let’s hope Google sees the wisdom of maintaining its search neutrality and takes immediate steps to protect its editorial propriety.”
The website in question gives background on Sir Brian. It outlines his personal beliefs including his support for the SNP, controversial fight against the repeal of Clause 28 and charity work with wife Betty, through the Souter Charitable Trust.’Vanished’Mr Beattie pointed out it is not a commercial site or used for political purposes.
He added: “Google needs to come clean and tell us why the official Brian Souter website has vanished. They also need to inform us how many other bona fide and non-commercial sites have suffered a similar fate.”
The culture, media and sport committee will consider the complaint when the letter reaches it.
Google remains embroiled in a European Commission anti-trust investigation amid claims it “rigs” its search engine to give rivals lower rankings when results are returned. Complainants including Microsoft and British price comparison site Foundem claim the practice means they get fewer hits for their websites as a result.
A Google spokesman said: “While we can’t comment in detail on each individual website, overall we take great pride in facilitating free expression on the internet. When someone is looking for information on Google, we want them to find the most relevant answers possible.
“Our search algorithm relies on more than 200 signals to help people find the answers they’re looking for, and last year alone we made more than 500 improvements to our algorithm, while experimenting with thousands more.”