Google: whatever happened to ‘Don’t be evil’? – spiked
The tech oligarch s greatest weapon against dissent lies in its ability to control the flow of information. Today s tech firms seek to monitor thought just as much as the Catholic Church did in the Middle Ages. They have engaged in widespread de-platforming of largely conservative voices. And Google, through its algorithms, now removes or downgrades publications or individuals as it sees fit. It has become, as US News put it in 2016, the world s biggest censor . To make matters worse, Google Chrome is widely cited for tracking its own users with ubiquitous surveillance technology.
Big Tech s control over online content and discourse is now so overwhelming it is impossible to ignore. As the Guardian once put it: If ExxonMobil attempted to insert itself into every element of our lives like this, there might be a concerted grassroots movement to curb its influence.
Google seems determined to extend its dominion over information. This year, it unveiled a plan to use its algorithms to encourage users to use more properly inclusive language. The growing confluence of Google and the other dominant platforms with the executive state is even more worrying. This became especially clear during the pandemic, when online platforms engaged in the censorship of those voices, no matter how well-credentialed, who dared to question the official policy on Covid. Tech firms have been engaged in attempts this year to create a disinformation board that would work to limit dissent from federally supported orthodoxy.
But this is just the beginning. Last year, Google announced a crackdown on climate-change sceptics including well-known scientists. The policy was eagerly embraced by Environmental Protection Agency director Gina McCarthy.
Today, Google epitomises a transnational version of pre-war Japan s zaibatsu or Germany s cartels that is, huge conglomerates controlling much of the economy and deeply influencing political affairs.
The world, and America in particular, has benefited hugely from Silicon Valley s remarkable creativity. But the oligarchic form these companies now take represents a barrier to technological progress, stifling innovation and competition. Tech firms should be empowered and encouraged to play a pivotal role in areas that can help in the analogue universe. They could help develop medical equipment, improve transportation and manufacturing, and address issues around the climate, energy costs and, in the long-term, space travel.
But right now, that s not happening.