SpenniesGoogle: Don't Be Evil
January 30th 2007 23:01
It wasn’t all that long ago that my I had a discussion with a friend about Google’s ethics. The discussion sprang up when I defended Google’s motto - ‘Don’t be evil’. No other corporation has a more straightforward ethical code, I said, and one that it’s willing to abide by. Google is a giant, but unlike others like it, it has managed to stick to its motto and avoid any ethical entanglements that could potentially tarnish its image. But all this is going to change, my friend replied. Google will get bigger and the more money it has, the more assets it will collect and the more people come rely on it, the less it’s likely that ethics will be at the front of their agenda.
This week, Google, along with Microsoft and Yahoo, agreed to join a working group to draw up a code of conduct for protecting human rights online. This comes after Google admitted last week that censoring its search engine in China was a no-no. So now, feeling like it has to make up for it, Google will hold joint talks with organisations such as Amnesty International to stop the censoring of websites and find a solution to ‘the free expression and privacy challenges faced by technology and communications companies doing business internationally'.
[link]
I continue to defend Google in this discussion because I feel we must for the time being give it the benefit of the doubt. Having read Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s story, it’s clear that Google is a company like no other. Beginning as a small network of computers in Brin and Page’s friend’s garage, Google is still a child, its creators eager to see it grow and prosper via a path that is morally just. Google’s motto is testament to Brin and Page’s vision of building something that helps people rather than hinders them, something that will never abuse power or money to its advantage, something that will stay true to its original state.
But how realistic is this?
How much can we, as consumers, ask of a corporation?
It’s certainly not hard to imagine Google growing, expanding its employee base, its management, and its leaders. What happens when Brin and Page retire? Will they have instilled their ethical vision for Google into those who will take over? Is there any way to ensure that Google will stay true to its motto in the future?
Let’s not be naïve and dismiss the possibility that one day Google will be the biggest corporation in the world. I don’t think many people would have a problem with that right now, and that’s because of its motto. Google is now the corporation with good ethics and while I confess that I too believe in Google’s vision, and I too don’t see it changing paths too soon, I am also wary that the possibility exists. It’s not wise to allow a corporation too much power, no matter how ethical it may seem. Google’s monopoly in cyber space should be viewed with a weary eye.
We have to keep in mind that the presence of ethics is not enough - the United States of America declares itself as ‘the land of the free’ but it was only a month after the September 11 attack that US President George Bush signed the Patriot Act. The Act made significant changes in the legal structure within which the law enforcement and intelligence communities operated. To be protected from ‘the threat of terrorism’, Americans now had to endure electronic surveillance and intelligence gathering for their protection. Many argued that the Act’s potential for abuse, for invasion of privacy, and for profiling citizens was high, and many aspects of the bill would increase the opportunity for law enforcement agencies to harass individuals who were merely exercising their First Amendment rights. So it no longer seems right to think of the USA as the land of the free does it?
Along these lines, could we also wake up one day and find that it no longer seems right to think of Google as the corporation with good ethics?
This week, Google, along with Microsoft and Yahoo, agreed to join a working group to draw up a code of conduct for protecting human rights online. This comes after Google admitted last week that censoring its search engine in China was a no-no. So now, feeling like it has to make up for it, Google will hold joint talks with organisations such as Amnesty International to stop the censoring of websites and find a solution to ‘the free expression and privacy challenges faced by technology and communications companies doing business internationally'.
[link]
I continue to defend Google in this discussion because I feel we must for the time being give it the benefit of the doubt. Having read Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s story, it’s clear that Google is a company like no other. Beginning as a small network of computers in Brin and Page’s friend’s garage, Google is still a child, its creators eager to see it grow and prosper via a path that is morally just. Google’s motto is testament to Brin and Page’s vision of building something that helps people rather than hinders them, something that will never abuse power or money to its advantage, something that will stay true to its original state.
How much can we, as consumers, ask of a corporation?
It’s certainly not hard to imagine Google growing, expanding its employee base, its management, and its leaders. What happens when Brin and Page retire? Will they have instilled their ethical vision for Google into those who will take over? Is there any way to ensure that Google will stay true to its motto in the future?
Let’s not be naïve and dismiss the possibility that one day Google will be the biggest corporation in the world. I don’t think many people would have a problem with that right now, and that’s because of its motto. Google is now the corporation with good ethics and while I confess that I too believe in Google’s vision, and I too don’t see it changing paths too soon, I am also wary that the possibility exists. It’s not wise to allow a corporation too much power, no matter how ethical it may seem. Google’s monopoly in cyber space should be viewed with a weary eye.
We have to keep in mind that the presence of ethics is not enough - the United States of America declares itself as ‘the land of the free’ but it was only a month after the September 11 attack that US President George Bush signed the Patriot Act. The Act made significant changes in the legal structure within which the law enforcement and intelligence communities operated. To be protected from ‘the threat of terrorism’, Americans now had to endure electronic surveillance and intelligence gathering for their protection. Many argued that the Act’s potential for abuse, for invasion of privacy, and for profiling citizens was high, and many aspects of the bill would increase the opportunity for law enforcement agencies to harass individuals who were merely exercising their First Amendment rights. So it no longer seems right to think of the USA as the land of the free does it?
Along these lines, could we also wake up one day and find that it no longer seems right to think of Google as the corporation with good ethics?
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Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
I wouldn't know, I'm too young to make a good judgement on this, but people who were not in their diapers back in the day draw parallels between Google and Microsoft.
I think if Google keeps to its rule of simplicity first, and maintains an indirect income via banner ads and the like it shouldn't ever get too evil