Google gone wild

I am a Google fanatic!!! I use Google reader, docs (what I'm using to write this), gmail, blogger, toolbar, notebook, igoogle, talk, page creator, calendar, and I download pretty much anything related (ie firefox, picasa, gears, etc....), without a second thought. God, I spent a lot of last week learning the shortcuts for all their applications, and the week before that learning the intricacies of Google's search functions.

Google has a great reputation, great products, and a great ethic, but how long will that last? Some English bloke, Lord Acton was his name, said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Google is gaining absolute power...I must add, through righteous means. As long as Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin retain control, I am confident that the company will continue to stay on the cutting edge of internet-technology, foster the legal transfer of information, and maintain a high standard of integrity.

Google's integrity has recently come into question because it has gone beyond it's original intention of being, exclusively, an organizer of information; it became a social platform and a median to transfer information. It crossed into a grey area, legally, when it created Google video, and purchased Youtube, considering pirated videos were transferred through those sites (which is the reason Viacom filed a lawsuit against Google ), even though it has stated that it took measures to prevent piracy. Also, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened an antitrust investigation of Google for its acquisition of the internet advertisement company Double Click. I'm not implying that Google is immoral. Other corporations are taking shots at them because they are becoming the top dogs.

The London-based watch-dog group, Privacy International, on Saturday, released a report titled A Race to the Bottom: Privacy Ranking of Internet Service Companies, in which it ranked Google lowest in securing private information, is an example of an organization taking a shot at the big-dog. The report does not have any factual evidence that supports its claim, and, between you and me, Privacy International is a luddite grass-root group whose mission is to take shots at every international corporation.

Only time will tell if Google will continue to remain trustworthy, but until I see intentional conflict of interest in the company's moral practices I will continue to use and recommend Google's products. Google set a high standard for all internet based companies, and has always made pleasing its users its primary objective.

Peace,
--Dooble