Google and privacy

Recently, several governments (not the US), including Canada, expressed some dissatisfaction with Google's sometimes disregard for the privacy of its customers. Wired's Peter Kirwin makes the point, that as Google grows, it may become a "regulated quasi-utility." Google, like all businesses, is already a regulated company. To operate in the public sphere, it must be regulated -- including in areas of privacy. But as Google continues to grow, its utility becomes more apparent. Certainly, it can be replaced -- and it does have competitors that fulfill similar functions for the public -- but Google's goal is to be the portal to all information -- public and sometimes private. If Google succeeds, and there's no reason to think it won't, it becomes essential to the functioning of a modern, technologically adept society. Being regulated as a utility at that point, becomes a requirement -- as Google's purpose would no longer be just to deliver wealth to its shareholders.

in reference to:

"The key challenge for Google involves slowing down the process. Arguably, this now matters more to shareholders than new product development. Regulated companies make smaller profits than you’d otherwise expect. For a company whose shares still trade at 25 times earnings, this is a fate to be avoided."
- Word War III: Google vs. Governments | Epicenter | Wired.com (view on Google Sidewiki)