Always remember: Google is a busine$$. While their motto is "don't be evil" and their mission is "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful", their GOAL is to MAKE MONEY. Implications? They want to be as useful to the user (you) as possible, while also pleasing their customers (advertisers). More on Google and internet advertising in module 5. It is easier to say "I'm sorry" than to ask permission. Google's mission is complicated by the ethical, social, and legal issues surrounding information use and ownership. Their desire to make accessible all the information in the world steps on lots of toes. Examples:
Feel free to research any of these incidents. Just remember, Google might not be the best choice to find that information. |
Do not assume...
The best example of this is YouTube. YouTube only looks for what people have loaded on YouTube; there are plenty of freely-available videos on the web that you won't find on that site. Did you know that Google has a video search tool for the free web? And that you can enter -youtube in the search box to exclude YouTube results? Did you also realize that Google gives preference to YouTube (the content it owns, mind) in its regular search engine results? Hmmmm....
Beware, or at least be aware of, the information organizer which is also an information provider. The potential for conflict of interest is huge and real.
Do assume...
Many groups are keeping an eye on Google. You can find information like: