COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office is seeking input from residents regarding their thoughts on internet search engines and if those companies should be allowed to favor their own products and services above others.
“Should Google, for example, be able to put its own products above everybody else’s products in the search results? We want to know if you think that kind of thing is unfair or deceptive, or if you’re OK with it,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.
According to state officials, Ohio already has a law on the books that prohibits "unfair or deceptive sales practices." The questionnaire will be used to help determine if online searches fall under the current law.
Yost is asking Ohioans to fill out a survey comprised of 20 questions that will be used to “inform the office as it considers whether to pursue new protections for search engine users.”
“A proposed rule could seek to regulate internet search results that preference or display in a more prominent position products and services owned or operated by search providers,” according to Yost’s office.
You can find the questionnaire here.
The deadline for submission is Aug. 30.
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