Conservatives really love to hate Google

[Bloomberg] [Fully Charged]( From [Bloomberg](   [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]( [Twitter Share]( [SUBSCRIBE [Subscribe]](  Hi all, Gerrit De Vynck here. Some conservative journalists, activists and politicians have long claimed that the internet companies, based in liberal Silicon Valley, are out to suppress right-wing views. A handful of incidents that the companies chalk up to algorithmic or human mistakes -- taking down an anti-abortion ad on Twitter, or pushing down conservative news stories in Facebook's now defunct trending topics section -- have become proof in the talking points of some politicians that Big Tech is working against an entire side of the American political spectrum. Though much of that anger's been directed at Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., the rhetoric turned sharply towards Alphabet Inc.'s Google in the last two weeks. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter that Google News only shows negative news about him. Then politicians of all stripes [lambasted]( the company for not sending a senior executive to a hearing in Washington on Russian meddling in American elections. This week, the attacks didn't let up, with a [leaked video]( of an hour-long all-hands meeting at Google shortly after the 2016 election showing top executives expressing disappointment and sadness that Trump had won. Google dutifully clarified that all its employees have a right to their personal opinions, and that those opinions don't impact its products. It's still unclear whether any of this will lead to actual regulations. But it's obvious that Republicans see beating up Google as a way to fire up their base. Like railing against government red tape or stoking fear of undocumented migrants, the unchecked power of Big Tech has become a reliable talking point for right-wing politicians. Now, a new film by conservative journalist Peter Schweizer is making the rounds at film festivals, laying out the argument for why Google is too powerful and should be cut down to size. "The Creepy Line" (named after an infamous line uttered years ago by former Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt) is a mishmash of conservative stars like Canadian psychology professor [Jordan Peterson]( and traditional Google critics like Yelp's head of public policy [Luther Lowe](bbg://people/profile/18896072). All in all, it's a decent, though torqued, encapsulation of the argument that the search giant has too much power. It heavily suggests, though doesn't offer any proof, that Google has already suppressed some conservative voices, and could sway entire elections with subtle manipulations of its search engines without any one being the wiser. Schweizer ends the documentary by comparing Google's power to that of totalitarian regimes like Mussolini's Italy or Mao's China. It sounds like hyperbole, but to the film's intended audience, the comparison could hit home. Republicans already think Big Tech is a convenient target for getting out the conservative vote. A Pew Research Center survey from June found 70 percent of Americans, regardless of their politics, believe social media companies censor political viewpoints. The days when the majority of people truly saw Google and Facebook as neutral platforms are behind us.  And here’s what you need to know in global tech news A little company from Cupertino put out some nifty new gadgets. Our own Mark Gurman was on the scene to cover yet another iPhone launch. But the really [interesting debut]( was Apple's new strategy of providing a broader range of models to appeal to those who aren't ready to pay more than $1,000 for a phone.  Don't miss the important news out of Europe this week. The European Parliament voted to move forward on rules that [further erode the legal principle]( that big platforms like Google and Facebook aren't responsible for the content posted by their users.  Tech guards our digital memories, until it doesn't. Listen to the latest episode of our Decrypted podcast, where Bloomberg Technology's Brad Stone [goes on a quest]( to help a dad rescue precious video of his newborn son from an ancient Flip video camera.   Sponsored Content by Divvy Divvy, the proactive expense management platform, recently announced a massive $35M Series B. What is making Divvy a VC magnet? Divvy eliminates expense reports and gives complete visibility into employee spend. Divvy is 100% free and offers decision makers $50 to take a demo. [Get your $50 now.](   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Technology newsletter Fully Charged. You can tell your friends to [sign up here](.  [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022