Planet Google, By Randall Stross
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference."War, hyperinflation, breakdowns in public utility services" – just a few of the accidents of history that, as Randall Stross wisely points out, the all-consuming online data store has never had to face. Google's fair-weather expansion has proceeded at stunning speed since Stanford whizzkids Sergey Brin and Larry Page created it in 1998.
Now, in the week that General Motors goes under, Google still rides high as an outsize poster-child of the internet revolution. But never an "evil" monster, of course, as it stomps about cyberspace aiming to "organise the world's information".
If the pace of change means that this first-rate book misses recent Google tricks, the richness of the inside-track narrative and the sophistication of the analysis leaves rival cyber-histories way behind.
Stoss counts all the costs, as well as ticking off the benefits, of this "one-stop destination" for our records and our passions.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments