Assange launches scathing attack on Google: "They are directly engaged with Hillary Clinton’s campaign"

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange claims Google is closely connected with Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in order to promote the former First Lady who has claimed the Democratic nomination.

Assange was speaking as part of the "New Era of Journalism: Farewell to Mainstream international media" forum in Moscow via videolink, as he is still self-captive in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

The journalist is wanted in connection with a sexual assault charge in Sweden, but is being shielded by the embassy as he fears extradition to the United States over his website's leaking of secure information to the press.

"Google is directly engaged with Hillary Clinton's campaign," claimed Assange. "Of course when she is in power..she is a problem for freedom of speech. We know what she is going to do. And she made the chart for the destruction of Libya, she was involved in the process of taking the Libyan armoury and sending it to Syria."

Of course when she is in power..she is a problem for freedom of speech. We know what she is going to do

He repeated his claims that Clinton is a war hawk, but who is smart about the way she approaches them, coating herself in legal interventionism.

"What we have with Clinton is someone who is a hawk but who has the tools of legal interventionism, a rhetorical cover to start wars, and someone who seemingly wants to start them… From WikiLeaks’ perspective Hillary Clinton is a problem in terms of war and peace."

Assange also pointed out the increasing influence of Google on existing power structures, citing Eric Schmidt's appointment to head of the Pentagon's Innovation department as an example of the close intertwining of the company within these structures

"Google is heavily integrated with Washington power, at personal level and at business level. Google, which has increasing control over the distribution channels,… is intensely allying itself with the US exceptionalism."

GOOGLE EXIT FOR CHINA?

The Wikileaks' editor-in-chief has also predicted that China could one day boycott Google, such is the company's focus on being part of the "American family". He affirmed "I see a Google exit from China… It seems much more to do with Google's feeling that it is part of ‘family America’ and that it is opposed to the Chinese."

Google search rankings could potentially decide the outcome of an election

Assange's claims come after a report issued by Fortune said that researchers had found that Google search rankings could potentially decide the outcome of an election, with little doubt that the search engine at least has a heavy influence on results.

"If Google tweaks its algorithm to show more positive search results for a candidate, the researchers say, the searcher may form a more positive opinion of him or her," said Fortune.