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Advantages and Disadvantages of the Google Organization

Larry Page and Sergey Brin began working on a new Internet search engine in 1996 while students at Stanford University. They incorporated in September 1998, and by December of that same year, "PC Magazine" declared Google the best search engine. Google's impact on the Internet and world since has been significant, changing how people access the Web and impacting local economies. However, it has also raised privacy and censorship concerns that challenge Google's "do no harm" philosophy.

  1. Web Search

    • Google's Web search engine made the company famous and the founders wealthy. It also increased access to the "deep Web," websites not easily accessible from popular websites and Internet hubs. Google estimated the importance of a website by tracking how often other websites linked to it, making its search results more relevant than what had previously been possible in Internet search. Google's mission is to "organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful," and its search engine continues to have a significant impact on how millions of people find information every day.

    Economic Impact

    • Google has also had a significant impact on the economy through its advertising service and other tools. Google launched AdWords in 2003, and it made more than $28 million in revenue from advertising in 2010, according to Google's investor relations financial tables. Google says its search and advertising tools led to $64 billion of local and online economic activity in 2010. Bruce Kellison from the University of Texas at Austin's IC² Institute criticizes Google's claim, however, suggesting some of the spending shifted from local businesses, newspapers and TV networks to online advertising and retail.

    Privacy

    • Google stores enormous amounts of data to power its Web search and advertising engines, and many privacy advocates have repeatedly raised concerns over the amount of personal information Google has the ability to access. The company's development of email, social networking and other services have only increased those concerns. In March 2011, Google settled with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and agreed to regular privacy compliance checks for 20 years over charges related to Google Buzz. The primary complaint was that Google used information from users' Gmail accounts and publicly shared the names of the people they emailed the most often without permission.

    Censorship Concerns

    • From January 2006 until January 2010, Google censored the results in China to appease the nation's government. Its relationship with China challenged Google's commitment to its "do no evil" philosophy. Google faced public criticism for the decision but stated the increased access to information they provided would be beneficial to the Chinese people. However, Google stopped censoring results in China after they detected a sophisticated attempt to access the Gmail accounts of human rights activists within China.

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