|
LinuxDig.Com Linux News : Google on the Hot Seat
Author: HumanX | Tuesday April 13, 2004
Google has been in the news quite frequently over the past few months. In this article I would like to take a brief look at the philosophy of the search.
If there were ever a company you could trust, I think it could be Google. A company started from humble beginnings who has grown to a champion. Google has brought us the gift of a near perfect search and a plethora of tools that make searching even easier! Lets not forget a dedicated Linux search. A company that treats it's employees well, whom pokes fun of itself from time to time on there home page and gave developers the ability to tie into Googles search capabilities.
But lately, Google has been taking allot of heat on a variety of issues. Competition in Asia, public offering, word searches, Gmail and more. One of the top Linux users with 20,000+ installations is being assaulted. Our beloved Google, we say leave them be. Some of this press is focused on its search engine capabilities, and it is that bad press I would like to discuss in this article.
This article ultimately leads to the philosophy of the search. Search engines bear the responsibility of delivering accurate searches as well as remaining as non-political as possible. Search engines are our guide to the Internet, without them, over 46 million web sites could never be found.
This responsibility does not come without a price. What if a harmless search term leads to a link of hate? Does Google or any search engine then bare the responsibility to censor what we see or for that matter place the hateful item away from the publics eye (further down the list)? On that hand, a Search Engine is the Guide and the Internet is a free place to roam finding any kind of content regardless of its topic, this is the love of the Internet. On the other, a corporation sending users to hate sites is the flip side of the coin. Do we restrict items in a search engine because of their content whether they are pornographic, profane or carry messages of hate?
Censorship is a dangerous idea. The simple philosophy is that you can censor and one day someone may censor something you like. That is the danger. Google is in a place where the temptation to censor is great. I am quite sure the company of Google does not want to be associated with some types of content on the Internet, but knows, the power of the search engine to its users. And therefore delivers unaltered topic relevant information to its users.
It is my believe that Search Engines do have the responsibility to deliver relevant searches to the public and they are not their to censor that data. What happens when corporations begin the process of censorship? What happens when corporations begin taking the role of our government? This is not a place we want to be, this is a place we cannot be.
Google often refuses to modify searches because of the ultimate content it might deliver. I think the company understands their responsibility and fulfill their duties well. This is why Google is one of the most popular Search Engines on the planet. Because we know we will find the information we need.
It is also our responsibility not to put Google in a position to be forced to censor. Where does it stop, who sets the standards. If we want great searches, if we want to find relevant information, let the Search Engines do their jobs. The Internet is one of the only true free places to be, do you want to lose that?
HumanX
| DISCUSSION: google_on_the_hot_seat | | | The Posting Date has expired for this discussion |
| Mostly Agree | Started By: frank johnson | Messages: 1 | Last Message: 04.14.2004 09:21:41 |
| | Mostly Agree | Started By: frank johnson | Messages: 1 | Last Message: 04.14.2004 09:20:53 |
|
|
