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.
December 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
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.
This is not true. Only adds pay google.
http://www.google.com/corporate/index.html
“We don’t sell placement in the search results themselves, or allow people to pay for a higher ranking there.”
Also, I belive sensorship is wrong, even if I think what people want to say with their freedom is also wrong.
So, unless google is lying, and they really do allow people to pay for placement in their search results, then you should do more research.
December 14th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I would also say that their issue with China is not bad. Their goal is to provide information to the individuals.
In China, they currently allow search results but there are errors when you try to view the page.
ie. 连接被重置
载入页面时到服务器的连接被重置。
* 此站点暂时不可用或者太忙。请稍后重试。
* 如果您无法载入任何页面，请检查您计算机的网络连接。
* 如果您的计算机受到防火墙或代理服务器的保护，请确认 Firefox 被授权访问网页。
It says: “Error connecting to server.”
(this error was from trying to go to http://www.freetibet.org but it is the same to other pages)
I’m not sure if this is China or Google.
But using a proxy (proxy.org) will allow you to see webpages: as in your web page.
Google displays results but you are not able to see the results. So, you can get a sense of what China is sensoring
If Google did not do this, then China would simply not allow Chinese to use their search engine, which would give China even MORE control over their internet.
I think it’s better that people realize what is being sensored, even if that means google does not more completely undermine China’s sensorship.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:43 am
@CJ
I was talking about the PAID PLACEMENTS that appear in the side bar and top bar in the search results