Google Backlash

Filed in archive News on January 14, 2010

© KitFoxInk


Recently I got in a conversation with an encryption expert. He secures networks and browsers for a living. In fact, companies pay him to try and break into their systems to see how safe they are. Well, were talking about the best browser to use when he said, "Google Chrome is the safest thing out there."

I was stunned. "What? I heard Google was using Chrome to pick up information from users."

He literally laughed at me. "Sure, that's what hackers want you to think so you won't use it. Chrome is the most secure browser."

I felt betrayed. I'd heard from people who I considered more tech-savy than me just rant against Google Chrome. And now, the smartest security guy I know says those claims are bogus.

It made me think. Why does Google seem to have such a bad rep recently? You probably heard about the scam in China and the constant up-hill battle over Google books. It just seems that Google is having a rough time.

Plenty of big companies get picked on all the time: Walmart, McDonald's, Coca-Cola… It reminds me of my mom telling me that people only are mean to you when they're jealous. While it may not have been true for me in middle school, these are some of the most widely successful companies and that makes them bigger targets.

However, Google's particular trouble's look less manageable. Are Google's universal goals too ambitious? Was the "Don't Be Evil" motto really such a good idea?

Why do you think Google seems to be taking a hit?