As Google's status of corporate giant balloons with every year that goes by, its unofficial motto - "don't be evil" - has come under increasing scrutiny. From privacy groups that claim the ubiquitous search engine has too much access to our personal information to the individuals requesting that their faces are blurred from Google Street View, its image as a company with the public's best interests in mind has certainly taken a few knocks lately.A new report in today's Wall Street Journal, which states that Google may be seeking preferential treatment from internet providers, could further exacerbate negative attention towards the firm. Allegedly, Google has approached major cable and phone companies who provide internet services with a proposal to create a "fast-lane" for its own content - a strategy that differs significantly from its established stance in favour of net neutrality: i.e., that all internet traffic should be treated equally.
In a post on its Public Policy blog, Richard Whitt - Google's Washington Telecom and Media Counsel - was quick to defend the accusations. He explains that Google has offered to collocate caching servers within broadband providers' own facilities, helping them reduce bandwidth costs and reduce the number of times content has to be transmitted. Essentially, he says, this brings content closer to end users, improving page load times - something that Google claims to have always been in favour of, as long as it is carried out on a "non-discriminatory basis".
He adds: "Despite the hyperbolic tone and confused claims in Monday's Journal story, I want to be perfectly clear about one thing: Google remains strongly committed to the principle of net neutrality, and we will continue to work with policymakers in the years ahead to keep the Internet free and open."
Regardless of how exaggerated the claims made by the Wall Street Journal against Google might be, the story once more brings to attention the search engine's growing might and its ability to transform the way in which we view content online. Regulators are certain to be maintaining a close watch on the company as it grows ever-larger; its recent abandonment of a landmark paid search deal with Yahoo! due to regulator concerns is just one example.
And as Barack Obama - a dedicated net neutrality enthusiast - heads to the White House in the next few weeks, it's likely that tech lobbyists and advisers may encourage the new president to keep a close eye on the search engine's moves. After all, Google may have been one of Obama's largest corporate benefactors during this year's election, but that's not to mean that it will be beyond the bounds of the new Democratic administration's jurisdiction.
