Andrew Qunice
02-09-2006, 01:07 PM
Perhaps it is predictable that big business always sells out in the end. But by making so much capital from its much-quoted strapline, ‘Don’t be Evil’, Google was inevitably setting itself up for a fall.
Today, Google is one of the most powerful and influential organisations on earth, It continues to try to be ‘all things to all people’, effectively to play the role of the Walmart of the online world. But inevitably a company of Google’s size and influence cannot sustain a spotless reputation.
Google’s recent decision to launch google.cn, a Chinese version of its Internet search engine, that actively censors results to avoid angering China’s Communist government, illustrates this clearly. In co-operating with Beijing, Google has put the straightforward pursuit of profit ahead of its dedication to making information universally accessible.
In fact, Google has never been all that it seems. For one thing, it is very much an advertising-driven company. Estimates suggest that more than 90 per cent of the company’s business comes from this route.
Naturally, Google cares a great deal about what its advertisers want. To reflect this, rumours abound of ways in which it can manipulate its PageRank system to ensure blog sites which are of little commercial use, receive a lower ranking.
On the reverse side of the coin, there are a myriad ways in which unscrupulous website owners can manipulate Google’s system to ensure companies receive a high ranking to boost sales and market share. These include use of popular but misleading keywords, well-placed links, spam, persistent updating and deploying incorrect metadata.
One further vexed question is Google’s attitude to pornography accessible through its search engine. It has been estimated that around 25 per cent of sites available through Google.com are pornographic in nature. The company’s recent refusal to comply with a US government subpoena for information on how people use its service has opened it up to the criticism that it is not adequately protecting minors from such sites.
The Department of Justice's request is part of its attempts to defend the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (Copa), Jack Samad, senior vice president for the National Coalition for Protection of Children and Families argued that search engines should be willing to help the Bush administration defend the law.
Samad said: "Young people are experiencing broken lives after being exposed to adult images and behaviours on the Internet. I'm disappointed Google did not want to exercise its good corporate branding to secure the protection of youth.”
After all the recent negative publicity, Google’s moralistic guiding principle, “Don’t’ be Evil” is starting to look a little tarnished. It is inevitable that, over time, its corporate brand image will also suffer.
Today, Google is one of the most powerful and influential organisations on earth, It continues to try to be ‘all things to all people’, effectively to play the role of the Walmart of the online world. But inevitably a company of Google’s size and influence cannot sustain a spotless reputation.
Google’s recent decision to launch google.cn, a Chinese version of its Internet search engine, that actively censors results to avoid angering China’s Communist government, illustrates this clearly. In co-operating with Beijing, Google has put the straightforward pursuit of profit ahead of its dedication to making information universally accessible.
In fact, Google has never been all that it seems. For one thing, it is very much an advertising-driven company. Estimates suggest that more than 90 per cent of the company’s business comes from this route.
Naturally, Google cares a great deal about what its advertisers want. To reflect this, rumours abound of ways in which it can manipulate its PageRank system to ensure blog sites which are of little commercial use, receive a lower ranking.
On the reverse side of the coin, there are a myriad ways in which unscrupulous website owners can manipulate Google’s system to ensure companies receive a high ranking to boost sales and market share. These include use of popular but misleading keywords, well-placed links, spam, persistent updating and deploying incorrect metadata.
One further vexed question is Google’s attitude to pornography accessible through its search engine. It has been estimated that around 25 per cent of sites available through Google.com are pornographic in nature. The company’s recent refusal to comply with a US government subpoena for information on how people use its service has opened it up to the criticism that it is not adequately protecting minors from such sites.
The Department of Justice's request is part of its attempts to defend the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (Copa), Jack Samad, senior vice president for the National Coalition for Protection of Children and Families argued that search engines should be willing to help the Bush administration defend the law.
Samad said: "Young people are experiencing broken lives after being exposed to adult images and behaviours on the Internet. I'm disappointed Google did not want to exercise its good corporate branding to secure the protection of youth.”
After all the recent negative publicity, Google’s moralistic guiding principle, “Don’t’ be Evil” is starting to look a little tarnished. It is inevitable that, over time, its corporate brand image will also suffer.