In less than a decade, Google, the world’s most popular search engine, has risen from a startup company to the world’s internet superpower. Larry Page and Sergey Brin –the founders of Google– gave its name from the mathematical term “googol”, which stands for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. If Google continues to double profits every year, decades from now, its revenue might be represented in googols. Such an ascent might justify the concern and fear everyone has about Google.
In 2001, Eric Schmidt accepted the chairman and CEO role over at Google. Early 2002, he met John Battelle, the author of “The Search” book, to discuss the transformation of Google in a media company. As Battelle states in his book, in the past five years, search became a method of navigating our information universe and defines our interaction with the Internet. Search drove the Internet. Search created Google.
Did Google become a media company? Some authors argue that it is not a media company. It does not create its own content, but rather collects and connects pre-existing information (Ex. Google News, Google Maps, Google Earth, etc.). Google provides free access to its resources, but it makes money through advertisements that are customized best of our viewing experience, intentions, hobbies, needs, and so on. Although Eric Schmidt declared that Google was only a technology company, it always wanted to be more than a search engine.
Should we consider Google a threat? One of the biggest threats has to do with the privacy of its users. Google stores in its database information about people’s lives, their logs, e-mail, calendar, contacts, documents, photos, and videos. Soon, they could include even the user’s medical information. Besides the information already Google collects about us, it plans to expand this activity. For example, it plans to create an online payment system to compete with PayPall, so it will gather even financial information about us. Google plans to negotiate at the same table with Microsoft in buying the Facebook, and to expand its social network services. This way, its “database of intentions” will store even more personal information about millions and millions of people.
(http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070925/microsoft_facebook.html)
People are concerned about “the database of intentions”. As John Battelle says in The Search, the database of intentions is: “the aggregate results of every search ever entered, every result list ever tendered, and every path taken as a result”. I personally, don’t like Google aggregating this data about me. This information can be exploited and abused at any time in the future.
Who is afraid of Google? Who should be worried about Google’s expanding power and ambition? It seems that no one is safe. Media companies and book publishers feel that Google has grown by using their content without paying them. AT&T and Verizon are unhappy that Google prospers by using their technology. Even Apple and Microsoft get panicked about Google. “Microsoft knows it’s getting Googled”, said Yankee Group analyst Laura Dido. “This is their latest attempt to make themselves look edgier and look like they have a plan to move toward SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) and services.” Video, classifieds, telecom, operating systems, print, productivity programs, and e-commerce companies are afraid of Google. Even politicians dislike Google’s deal with China’s censorship and are unhappy about its uncensored videos.
In conclusion, Google seems to be a threat! How can we predict one possible future of Google? Maybe by watching a video about Googlezon!
