Paranoia grows over Google's power: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/06/18/google.privacy.reut/index.html
Google is playing the role of J. Edgar Hoover for the 21st Century. Any guesses to which of its founders is the cross dresser? {} {}
Fear? No. Slightly suspicious? Maybe... I'm keeping an eye on 'em. But all of that pales in comparison to my dislike of Microsoft. The MS goal is all about maintaining their monopoly. Building a proper product with proper security comes in a very distant second to snuffing out competition with many illegal practices only some of which they've been tried and convicted of. Then there's the nickel-and-dime factor: don't get me started how the Xbox game console became a spam-puking and money-sucking machine once it gained a significant market share. OTOH, all I've noticed from Google is that they are improving the quality of my life for free, with minimal interference. Yes, a great danger exists based on the amount of information they hold, but aside from the China censorship thing, I don't see them committing evil. They innovate freely and seem to compete fairly. Microsoft holds lots of information on consumers as well... and again, I trust them far less than Google because they have a history of abusing their power.
It's not that I don't like Google. They offer damn fine services. I'd just prefer if there were more alternatives, preferently public funded.
Yay! Let's use tax dollars to create search engines! I tried to bring down Google myself. I tried to 'google' the word 'google'... it didn't make it explode.
I confess to also having tried that, what if a bunch of people did it at the same time, then would it explode?
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