Topic 4: Ehtics and Influence

The line between politics and influence can sometime become quite fuzzy and even then the determination of the tipping point will most likely vary from individual to individual, as I am not aware of any universal standard in this regard. In a more broad sense, manipulation is normally used for advancement of self-interest, whether personal or corporate, without any major regards or concerns about individuals.

To determine such line, we will need to look at case by case basis, whether at corporate level or individual level. At the corporate level, we can start by looking at the corporate history, its market position (and how the position was established), and then look at the individual actions taken by it. For example, in the case of Google, to see whether its search implementation is manipulating public or just wholesome goodness or combination of both, some of the important questions we can possibly ask are:

• How is Google’s past track record in terms of playing fair games? Does it allow a plain level field or take advantage of its enormous power? Has it taken advantage of its almost monopoly in search? If so, how? If the answer to any of these questions is affirmative, we will have to look carefully, as there might be signs of manipulation and politics.
• How has it lived its motto of “Don’t be Evil”? Has it done any evil yet? If so, how?

Google has simply done a marvelous job in technology and is an engineering powerhouse. It also has done a brilliant job of establishing an innovative culture in business and product development. It certainly deserves credit for it and these strategies have paid out in terms of market share and product successes. It also has an enormous information about public data and user habits. It can utilize this data to its advantage without public even knowing about it. This brings up important question about public privacy and we need to ask whether Google is violating any public privacy? Does it allow public and individuals to determine how and when to use this information? What depth of user information does it have and whether it is fair to collect such information? To fully determine whether is is manipulating public or just simply influencing, we might need to answer some of the privacy concerns first.