Ethics and Google

[jason]

All Things Considered, November 20, 2005 · Debbie Elliott and New York Times Magazine ethicist Randy Cohen examine the dilemma that search engine Google poses with its Google Book Search tool. The powerful software can scan whole sections of books for reading online, raising questions of copyright infringement.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5020954

Comments

[bardiclug.livejournal.com]

But "Public" and "For Profit" are not in opposition.

There is no charge to use the Google service (that I know of).

Anyone who has access to a web browser can access it, which is as close to "public" on the internet as you are going to get.

Yes, people could print each page they find and put together a book "for free" - but I've seen people with library copies of text books in Kinkos at the self-serve copy machines. What's the difference? I just can't see how making information and knowledge from books more widely available can be a bad thing.

Google makes their profit from AdWords, mostly. So yes, you are stuck with ads in your browser when you find these pages. Would it make a difference if Google ran this service completely from donations?

But I'm a trouble maker - what do I know?

[complicittheory.livejournal.com]

There you go. For me the ONLY question is that I don't have a right to say no to them. The opt-out policy is fine for indexing things we've put on the net, but whereas I think government can get away from this, corporations cannot. And google makes money off their process, we know that, even if they don't charge US. Bad juju in an otherwise good idea.

[bardiclug.livejournal.com]

You are the man, and I conceed to your superior understanding of the situation. :) I'm a hack, and I freely admit it. :)

[complicittheory.livejournal.com]

Bullshit. But I'll take victory where I find it.