Unlike what most Americans believe, the world outside the U.S. is getting increasingly tiresome of Google’s practices. Xinhua has just reported Google’s Seoul office raided by police. This was due to suspicion of Google’s AdMob unit illegally collecting private mobile user information. Google made many headlines in their confrontation with the Chinese government. See Allen’s article, “Google vs. China – Good vs. Evil?”
Japan last year decided to be “heavy-handed” too in their dealings with Google over leaked Japanese coast guard videos. See my prior post, “YouTube records reportedly seized by Japanese prosecutors over leaked video.”
Google has been marred with copyright controversies and in November 30, 2010, the European Commission launched an antitrust probe into the companies search practices.
In my view, Google is too arrogant. If it continues the same behavior, I predict it’s market share outside the U.S. will continue on a downward trajectory. It has already slipped in China.
ed says
Ha. This has nothing to do with the world growing “tiresome” of Google. It has to do with Google’s practice, right or wrong, of collecting user information. There is not one iota of evidence that Google is weakening, or that the world is growing “tiresome” of it. There may be lawsuits and inquiries, as there are about Microsoft all the time, but Google is virtually unchallenged as the world’s No. 1 search engine practically everywhere but in China. This episode has to do with a police raid, and has nothing to do with users being “tiresome” of Google. As for China, Google’s attitude is that while it would be nice to be there, it can easily live without it. And it can.
YinYang says
ed, if you are American, then I rest my case. 😉
jxie says
Ed,
That’s erroneous. Yandex is #1 in Russia, and Naver is #1 in South Korea. Yahoo Japan was #1 in Japan, until its recent partnership with Google.