Google: Ethics vs Freedom of Information
Today I was loitering on the Internet trying to kill some time. I was reading about various conspiracies concerning oil prices , wars e.t.c.
I searched Google for the term ‘Zionism’. The results page had a ’sponsored link’ on top linking to a anti-zionism website(URL withheld) that caught my attention. Any website seeking to appear on top spots in Google search engine results has to pay Google. This website paid Google so that they can appear on top of search pages.
The website sells various wares including Nazi emblems,books, memorabilia and Hitler’s literary works. Also included among the wares are T-Shirts emblazoned with messages such as ‘Nuke Israel’ , Rudolf Hess: “True Heroes Never Die”. Simply put this site hawks Nazi wares.
This all raised questions in my mind about where Google draws the line between ethics and ‘freedom of information’. It is OK for Nazi related information to appear in search results… for informational and research purposes.
BUT
Is it not too much for Google to actually profit from it ?
Is Google not making money from the hawking of hate filled Nazi-related material in this case ? Is it immoral or moral ?
After the Chinese Google Censorship episode I really have begun to doubt Google’s ‘Do no evil’ motto and this concluded it for me… I don’t know about you.
Tags Nazi, Sponsored Links, Anti-Semitism, Google, Hate
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I find it pretty ironic that you are still displaying Google ads next to a post accusing their advertisement system of being unethical and immoral.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:07 am
As my article concludes Google should do away with their ‘Do no evil ‘ motto becoz it’s just HYPOCRITICAL as some of their business practices are becoming questionable….the China issue for example .
All I am saying is that Google has lost its initial saintly image and should be seen in the same light as other big corporations like Microsoft, GM, Enron
etc.
You are right about the irony of me displaying Google ads but then again I never went around saying I am the most ethical blogger …No HYPOCRISY there!
July 29th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I think it has more to do with the fact that Google is so massive. I’m sure they would remove this ad if they knew it was there. Google is smart, but with topics like this, automation can only go so far. Is it a historic site or a hate site? That’s some serious logic involved there. I would have alerted Google to the issue though.
I think it’s definitely wrong to profit from hate literature, but I really think this is a case of automation gone wrong.