Why Google Is the New Evil Empire [+video]
Photo Credit: Fox Business
Today we have Google (GOOGL). Don’t let the geeky façade, whimsical multicolored logo and “don’t be evil” mantra fool you. Google may very well be the most sinister threat and wicked incarnation of them all.
In an interview with the Atlantic almost five years ago, the search empire’s dark lord himself, Eric Schmidt, said, “Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.” He said, “I would argue that implanting things in your brain is beyond the creepy line – at least for the moment until the technology gets better.”
Then things got even creepier when Schmidt said, “We don’t need you to type at all because we know where you are. We know where you’ve been. We can more or less guess what you’re thinking about.” Then he paused and asked, “Is that over the line?”
Clearly, this creepy virtual line of Google’s is not just a moving target but a highly subjective one. How do they know when they’ve crossed it? Perhaps the more appropriate question to ask is how many lines does Google have to cross before its executives realize – before we realize – that they’re doing evil? (Read more from “Why Google Is the New Evil Empire” HERE)
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Google Will Let You See Everything You’ve Ever Searched
By Julian Hattem. Google is famous for keeping discreet tabs on how people browse the Internet in order to market ads back to them and point them toward the websites, videos and services they want.
Now, it’s possible for the average Web user to get a slice of some of that information.
Over the weekend, an unofficial Google blog highlighted a new feature that the Internet giant had quietly rolled out to let people download their entire Google search histories.
To find everything they’ve ever searched for, users should go to Google Web History, click the gear icon and click “Download.” (Read more from this story HERE)
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Google Lobbying Spending Reached New High in Early 2015
By Diane Bartz. Google Inc , already one of Washington’s biggest spenders, set a company record for its lobbying activity in the first quarter of 2015 when it spent $5.5 million, according to a government database.
Google ranked ninth in terms of total lobbying spending in 2014 at $16.8 million, behind the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($124 million) and the National Association of Realtors ($55 million), according to the Center for Responsive Politics . . .
The $5.5 million Google spent in the first three months of 2015 is the most since the company began lobbying in 2007, according to the government database. Its ranking for this quarter’s spending could not be immediately determined.
Google’s growing investment in lobbying highlights the tech firm’s expanding presence in Washington as it fights antitrust battles at home and abroad, and grows its business into new areas such as broadband connectivity and self-driving cars. (Read more from this story HERE)
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