Regulate Google?

http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2010/07/regulate-google

Business Insider has an item running under the headline, "The New York Times Goes Nuts, Says The Government Should Regulate Google's Search Algorithm." If you read the actual Times editorial, though, it stops just short of calling for such regulation, venturing only that it is "worth exploring" while cautioning, "Google provides an incredibly valuable service, and the government must be careful not to stifle its ability to innovate. Forcing it to publish the algorithm or the method it uses to evaluate it would allow every Web site to game the rules in order to climb up the rankings — destroying its value as a search engine. Requiring each algorithm tweak to be approved by regulators could drastically slow down its improvements."

The way I read the editorial was as a threat that if New York Times articles and pages don't show up high in the search results, the editorial board would go all the way and call for government action.

Disclosure: I own some Google stock.

by Ira Stoll  |  Jul 15, 2010 at 12:58 pm Related Topics:  Google, Press receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free futureofcapitalism.com mailing list