Google and press releases
Posted by Pierre Igot in: TechnologyApril 10th, 2003 • 1:08 am
Andrew Orlowski, writing for The Register, is currently busy covering the Google News automated service and their recent inclusion of press releases as legitimate news sources. Here’s the latest column:
“PR rules, OK? Google ducks promised news policy pledge” by Andrew Orlowski, The Register.co.uk
It does sound like a serious issue, although it depends on how the press releases are integrated INTO the Google News service. Right now, it does appear that Google is making no difference between press releases and other news sources.
It does appear, therefore, that they are underestimating the negative impact that such moves might have on what used to be their core audience, i.e. enlightened, tech-savvy Internet users.
It probably won’t stop too many people from using Google’s services, but it does raise some very legitimate concerns about the level of obscurity that Google, as a privately-owned company, is able to maintain around its operations, policies, etc. When a service becomes so ubiquitous, there does appear to be some need for external regulation of some kind.