What an interesting question. I mean, would it be possible for someone working within Google Italy to manipulate the Googleplex’s search engine systems to the extent that the ranking of certain sites could be manipulated?
As I understand it, Google’s systems are based on cold and complex algorithms. Although these sophisticated formulae perhaps could not be tweaked, one who knows how the algorithims do their stuff could, I suppose, pass information on to certain parties. Certain parties could then use this information to make their sites more Google friendly. What a naughty thought.

Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
Why am I on about this? Good question. Actually, it’s because I was speaking to someone involved in the running of a major Italian website, and this site’s page ranking in Google had fallen. The fall was such that this person intimated that someone somewhere was possibly exerting influence on someone in Google Italy.
Could this really be the case? Well, this is Italy…. And Italians are ‘furbo‘. This post, of course, is pure speculation.