Wow. So now we have Google+! Because Google alone just wasn’t big enough?
It seems that it wasn’t that long ago when we were referring to Microsoft as the “evil empire,” and sending each other modified photos of Bill Gates made to look like Darth Vader. After all, the behavior of that software company was just indicative of human nature. They wanted (probably still want) to dominate as much as possible of our lives as consumers, using their monopoly on computer operating software as their hammer.
Makes me chuckle now, as we look around and see that another software company has eaten their lunch and taken over far more of our lives than Microsoft ever got close to. Unlike Microsoft, Google has a published mission that reads, “Don’t be evil.” But is this just a smokescreen?
My concerns about this issue are simply that it has never been a good thing for freedom and democracy when one entity (or even a few) have control over so many aspects of our lives. And as important as Microsoft’s niche was, it’s nothing like what we are looking at today.
I’m not crying “the sky is falling” or “conspiracy” here. But I’m not alone in my concerns. For example, Google’s effort to digitize and make available the entire library of humanity’s published works were met with a major class action suit. And when the outcry over their violations of privacy rights became too loud (over their “Street View” photos and “Google Buzz” applications), they backed off of their positions. This could be viewed in a positive light, but I’m not so sure.
What about there being a single repository for a database that includes every conceivable piece of information about you? Your address, phone, social security number, your health records, web sites you have visited, people you have emailed (or received mail from), what you bought, what you posted, on and on!
Does it concern you that over a typical six-month period, Google receives over 10,000 requests for personal data from governments, half of them from the US government? How they respond to these requests has not been made public.
More and more of our actual survival and quality of life depend on information that travels across the Net. And it’s now a fair statement that Google owns that Net. How long will it be before we are all working for them?
This video (created before the release of Google+) will blow your mind. Ironically, it’s hosted on Google’s YouTube platform!
