Just when you thought hyper partisanship couldn’t get any worse, when the country wasn’t bitterly polarized enough, now we learn that there are forces in motion that threaten to divide the Internet. An unholy alliance between a monopolist and a news conglomerate wants to change Cyberspace.
In case you haven’t tracked this story, Rupert Murdoch wants to block Google’s search engine and prevent it from accessing all content from News Corporation. This means no more online access … at least through Google … to Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the Times of London, or other company-owned content. Yes, you guessed it: Murdoch is exploring online payment models to boost revenues and will grant exclusive access to Microsoft’s search engine … in exchange for payment. And Microsoft does not mind hurting Google’s margins.
Of course, the Internet search engine market is not the only place where Google and Microsoft compete head to head. Recently, Google announced a new operating system, Chrome OS, that will compete against Windows in the web-enabled laptop market.
Implications? There is no telling where this all is going and how it will affect the future of the Internet. Does this mean an end to the Information Super Highway as monopolists carve it up to profit themselves? I have my suspicions. What are yours?
Anything that limits access to Fox can't be all bad, but it's fatuous to thing that the corporate conquistadors won't plant their flags where they can and won't divide it all up into warring states.
ReplyDeleteNever forget, we're here to be exploited, not served. Otherwise we'd be commonists, right?
Hey everyone! It's been awhile. The site's looking good. Glad everyone's been keeping up the good work better than I have.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I can't see Murdoch's plan working. The beauty of the internet (and perhaps the curse) is that there is always information available - for free. If Murdoch sets up barriers to his news, he's likely to hurt himself more than Google. Even teaming up with Microsoft, he can't deal any significant blows to Google. In the end people will go where the information is free.
(And I agree with Capt. Fogg - I welcome the locking up of Murdoch's "news.")
I hope it goes the way Brian describes.
ReplyDeleteI feel it might go the way of cable TV, with different levels of access. Consumers having to pay a little more with each level, or source of information.
There is a real problem of how we pay for information gathering. So far established news (and facts) sources have simply repeated their information on the net, They have other sources of income.
If the net becomes their only outlet for their information, then that's where they have to get their income from.
My fear: If commercial interests carve up the Internet to enrich themselves, we lose, not necessarily Fox. If Murdoch starts a feeding frenzy, all major players will jump in. Then all free content that we take for granted will suddenly become restricted or closed.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, if the Internet is carved up along partisan lines, it will further "Balkanize" the public.
None of this is good, in my opinion.
If Murdoch starts a feeding frenzy, all major players will jump in.
ReplyDeleteJust keep in mind that the biggest player is Google, and Google has an enormous interest in keeping the internet open. I think it would take a series of pretty significant events before the internet closed down and Murdoch got his way. His actions could start a chain reaction, but given the uphill battle he has in front of him, I'd say that's not very likely.
I think the bigger issue is ISPs failing to provide an infrastructure that can compete with the rest of the world. Ahem! Comcast!
If Google is willing to agree to censorship rules from the Chinese to get that market, what else will they agree to, to secure other markets?
ReplyDeleteSomehow I doubt everyone will follow Murdoch, could be wrong about that.
I hope FOX and Murdoch will go the way of other dinosaurs that once ruled the Earth.
Whatever happens, it will as always, be driven by profit.
That's why, at some point, we will have to pay.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDeleteWhew...
I'm all for it. Go ahead and let Murdoch try going behind a paywall and pulling his content from Google, the world's BIGGEST TRAFFIC PROVIDER.
Nothing can go wrong with that plan except the part where NO ONE LINKS TO HIS CONTENT.