Is Google opting out of "Don't Be Evil" clause?

Google is well known for its unofficial motto "Don't be evil". The company has a well-earned reputation for making the right decisions on issues that concern the way its tools work, and the way it does business.

The latest version of Google's toolbar, though, is drawing the ire of site owners, because of the way the toolbar adds new links into web pages.

The toolbar's AutoLink option inserts links to sites like Amazon and Mapquest into web pages, shifting control over a page's content away from web builders. For example, if your site includes a US address, Google's toolbar AutoLinks to a map service. If the page mention's a book's ISBN number, the toolbar AutoLinks to Amazon.

Google's designers see AutoLink as a tool for improving the browsing experience:

"The online review of a great new restaurant has the place's address but no map. You could type the restaurant's street, city, and ZIP code into the search box, but why bother, when clicking the Toolbar's AutoLink button will automatically create a link to an online map (US addresses only)? AutoLink can also link package tracking numbers to delivery status, VIN numbers (US) to vehicle history, and publication ISBN numbers to Amazon.com listings."

Who Owns Your Web Page?

AutoLinks create a significant problem for sites that sell books or that are affiliated with Amazon. When AutoLink was introduced, people browsing at Barnes & Noble would see AutoLinks that would take them to the related page at Amazon. Smaller sites that rely on Amazon affiliate income could be hurt, too. The toolbar can inserts new links that take readers to Amazon without sending an affiliate ID.

AutoLink raises other significant issues. If Google inserts links into your web page, you lose a degree of control over the user's experience. Most AutoLinks will be to pages that you wouldn't have otherwise linked to. The AutoLinks might help the user, but still detract from their impression of your site and your ability to meet your site goals.

For all site owners, AutoLink raises a larger issue: who owns your web page? For ten years, site builders have had a reasonable expectation that they had control over how their site appears in a web browser. Most developers have had to do significant testing to ensure that their site looks and behaves the way they want it to.

Finally, there's the issue of copyright. It's unclear whether changing the user's browsing experience violates a publisher's copyright. It is clear, though, that it violates 10 years of web precedent, and has the ability to cause publishers significant financial loss.

AutoLink inserts Google between the site developer and the site visitor. Many developers see this as monopolistic, greedy and even evil. Forums about web topics are busy with postings, many of which are from developers concerned about AutoLink.

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