Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin: Facebook and Apple a threat to Internet freedom

[RavenSEAL]

Link

In an interview with the Guardian, Google co-founder Sergey Brin warned that the "open" Internet is in danger from very powerful forces, including Facebook and Apple.

"I am more worried than I have been in the past ... it's scary," he said

Brin identified the serious threats to the open Internet as repressive governments trying to control access to the Internet, entertainment industry crackdowns on piracy and so-called "wall gardens" that maintain more strict control over what can be done on their technology platforms, citing Facebook and Apple.

He said that Facebook and Apple are stifling innovation and risk Balkanizing the Web, and went as far as to say that Google would never have come into existence if Facebook were dominant.

"You have to play by their rules, which are really restrictive. The kind of environment that we developed Google in, the reason that we were able to develop a search engine, is the web was so open. Once you get too many rules that will stifle innovation."

Of course, there is some self-interest and sour grapes in Brin's assessment. He would like to make all the information inside Facebook and Apple apps accessible to Google's search engine. A more open Web is certainly very good for the world but it's also very good for Google's bottom line. And, Google's main effort at social networking, Google+, has a long way to go to catch Facebook, which has more that four times the number of users and continues to gain momentum, including its recent purchase of the mobile photo-sharing app, Instagram. In addition, Apple, which has ridden it's proprietary approach to become the most valued company in the world, is Google's main competitor in the smartphone and tablet arena, another area critical to Google's business success.

Brin also complained about Facebook making it difficult for users to move their data to other services, presumably Google+. "Facebook has been sucking down Gmail contacts for many years," he said.

Brin's comments on his chief competitors may be the start of an escalating war of words and technology as the giant colonizers of the Web continue their competitive quests for dominance. Keep in mind what the Web's inventor Tim Berners-Lee has said:

A related danger is that one social-networking site--or one search engine or one browser--gets so big that it becomes a monopoly, which tends to limit innovation. As has been the case since the Web began, continued grassroots innovation may be the best check and balance against any one company or government that tries to undermine universality.

The Brin interview is part of the Guardian's week-long investigation, "Battle for the Internet," which will cover the "struggle for digital control that is being played out across the globe between governments, companies, military strategists, activists and hackers."

Interesting read, apparently there is more to come.

 

[WelshBloke]

I think there is a legitimate threat of companies and governments trying to chop the internet up into their own little kingdoms.

 

[Skel]

I read that yesterday.. interesting how the closed systems are a threat for a group that makes its money advertising on other people’s content. Not to mention the many attempts at taking other people’s work and placing it online where only they made money off of it, such as the attempt to place all the books online for free (Google ads of course), contrary to the creator’s desire. I’m sure if FB hadn’t blocked Google from advertising on it they’d be on board with FB systems.

 

[vi edit]

Whatever. Google has whored itself out to the highest bidder as well. Their search page is nothing more than a clustered pile of spam at this point.

They've long passed the happy "cool" company and are moving into wall street pleasing mode.

 

[ImpulsE69]

But it will happen, because Google, regardless of their "warning" are just another company looking to maximize profits.

 

[RavenSEAL]

But it will happen, because Google, regardless of their "warning" are just another company looking to maximize profits.

Without a doubt, but even then, you gotta admire their openness to new ideas and the tools they provide for the advancement of the open source community.

 

[zinfamous]

Whatever. Google has whored itself out to the highest bidder as well. Their search page is nothing more than a clustered pile of spam at this point.

They've long passed the happy "cool" company and are moving into wall street pleasing mode.

yeppers

 

[Printer Bandit]

google is the new microsoft. and facebook is the new google.

 

[WelshBloke]

Doesnt matter if you dislike Google or not.

Having an internet thats not searchable is going to suck.

 

[BoberFett]

I think there is a legitimate threat of companies and governments trying to chop the internet up into their own little kingdoms.

As some others have said in the Mobile Devices forum, the "appification" of the web is a problem. Apple enthusiasts can crow about how great their apps are all they want, the wall being erected between apps and the open web are a danger. Certainly Google is a part of that, and not innocent as Brin would have you believe, but Facebook and Apple are definitely bad for the future of computing.

 

[Dominato3r]

google is the new microsoft. and facebook is the new google.

Facebook is apple. 'In the real world' people love them and on the internet hate them

 

[vi edit]

Doesnt matter if you dislike Google or not.

Having an internet thats not searchable is going to suck.

And I still don't see where that's being threatened...at least any where in that article. Google is just butthurt that Facebook & Apple guard their user data. This is about money and market share and nothing more.

 

[alent1234]

Doesnt matter if you dislike Google or not.

Having an internet thats not searchable is going to suck.

internet will always be searchable

google just wants access to some data so that it can make money instead of the site owner

 

[manimal]

I seriously think that the internet will someday be completely walled and controlled.


Im still waiting to meet morpheus and trinity.

 

[WelshBloke]

internet will always be searchable

google just wants access to some data so that it can make money instead of the site owner

Will it? Why?

If companies are going to lock off a lot of data and not let others index it then, no, the internet wont be searchable. At least not in a usable way.

 

[alent1234]

why should facebook allow posts to be searchable if the user doesn't want it? why should twitter allow google to search their posts when they can mine the data as well

google just wants everyone's data for free

 

[rivan]

I'm not happy with the direction of things, but it's certainly interesting.

Almost seems like we're coming full circle - from AOL and Compuserve to FB.

 

[WelshBloke]

why should facebook allow posts to be searchable if the user doesn't want it? why should twitter allow google to search their posts when they can mine the data as well

google just wants everyone's data for free

Stop getting hooked up on company names.

If very large internet companies lock off large areas of the internet then its going to be crappy for us users.

Whether you think facebook/google/apple/AOL/whoeverthefuck are evil or not it not the point.

 

[thraashman]

That whole article I kept thinking "you're only bitching about Facebook because Google+ is one of the worst pieces of crap I've ever used".

 

[vi edit]

Stop getting hooked up on company names.

If very large internet companies lock off large areas of the internet then its going to be crappy for us users.

Whether you think facebook/google/apple/AOL/whoeverthefuck are evil or not it not the point.

You say that like indexing your personal information is a good thing.

 

[foghorn67]

google is the new microsoft. and facebook is the new google.

When will then be now?

 

[Markbnj]

Doesnt matter if you dislike Google or not.

Having an internet thats not searchable is going to suck.

I feel like we're getting there just based on Google's business model anyway. You search for something and most of the first page is dynamically generated content farmed bullshit.

 

[IAteYourMother]

You say that like indexing your personal information is a good thing.

Pretty narrow view of looking at things. Personal information isn't the only thing being shared on facebook, and you could easily see the facebook/apple ecosystems expanding to encompass far more than personal information, given their user base.

 

[vi edit]

Pretty narrow view of looking at things. Personal information isn't the only thing being shared on facebook, and you could easily see the facebook/apple ecosystems expanding to encompass far more than personal information, given their user base.

Yeh it is a narrow view. But so is the naive view that Google is complaining about this "for the better of the internet". It's a cash play and nothing more.

 

[bearxor]

As some others have said in the Mobile Devices forum, the "appification" of the web is a problem. Apple enthusiasts can crow about how great their apps are all they want, the wall being erected between apps and the open web are a danger. Certainly Google is a part of that, and not innocent as Brin would have you believe, but Facebook and Apple are definitely bad for the future of computing.

Don't blame Apple for the "appification" of the web.

Apple didn't want apps. Apple was all hippy 'you can make whatever application you want on html 5' and there was just a huge outcrying.

Having said that, I don't think it's bad for the future of computing. Most of us need to stop considering these things as computers and start considering them as accessories to our lives. In 20 years people will look back at the level of 'computers' we are using now and laugh at us.

Please don't hurt me. I love Ron Swanson.

When will then be now?

Soon...