Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of The Googlization of Everything, appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources last weekend to talk about some of the red flags he sees coming up as Google finds new ways to organize ever more aspects of our lives.
He takes on questions like whether Google’s search engine helps or hurts news organizations, and what the potential drawbacks of offering ads tailored to users’ interests are. Vaidhyanathan points out that while Google seems to present search results in an objective fashion, there have been many instances where the company made an active decision to either hide or promote a website, particularly in other countries.
Finally, he assesses the risk to future generations once Google, thoroughly integrated into society, decides its values don’t coincide with the public interest. Watch the video below or on CNN.com.
Vaidhyanathan was also interviewed on Brian Lehrer Live, where he discussed Google Books, privacy concerns, and the biases and values baked into Google’s search algorithm. Watch the video below.
Vaidhyanathan will be in Austin, TX, St. Paul, MN, New York, NY, and elsewhere in the coming months. Follow his busy tour schedule on his Facebook page, Twitter, or website.
