Google: Behind the Screen (IJsbrand van Veelen VPRO 2006)

This 50 minutes documentary gives an in-depth look in the world of Google and search.

What if all the world's information would be available and easy to find? What if all the news, all books, all texts, photographs and videos would be collected in one place, and made available, always and everywhere?

This is the goal of Google, and the company seems to be realising its core mission at an amazing speed: through its popular search engine, through Google Earth, with which users can find any kind of information based on geography, and through Google Print, a project in which Google digitizes complete libraries.

Google is divulging ever more information, in the process hiring the smartest people in the industry. But is the company aware of the responsibility it has, being the guard to all the world's information, including personal information about its users?

This documentary takes a look into the world of Google, in the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California and in its London offices. We see --among others- Vint Cerf, named 'the father' of the Internet who explains the inner workings of Google as a company. Since 2004, Cerf has been working for Google, helping them to develop new applications for the Internet. What is his view on the development of the Internet, and on the role Google plays in today's world?

With its motto 'Don't be evil', Google seems to have the best intentions. But there are also claims that Google is slowly turning into Big Brother, keeping track of its users and continuously making decisions about the information it provides to an ever faster growing number of users.

Will Google turn out to be a new Library of Alexandria, serving as a middleman that brings all useful information to anyone? Or is it turning into a monopolistic Big Brother that challenges the freedom of information?

Research: Martijn Kieft
Director: IJsbrand van Veelen

VPRO Backlight 2006

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• google
• information
• privacy
• search
• silicon
• valley
• cerf
• digitize
• internet
• big
• brother
• monopoly

[Thelavendel]

I will never use google when I search for really weird porn ever again.

[whj28ahg]

Marissa Mayer is hot :)

[mynameisTanya8504]

WHat's the song at around 37:46 when the google earth is shown spinning?...i like it!...what is it?!



[jasonganley1]

that song brings me back memories of playing tony hawk's proskater

[digital111x]

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater intro song..haha

[boodistGeek]

only 240p? so fuzzy

[ostadzadeh]

Even the documentary itself is biased! :) notice how they tried to convince that "Dutch" is one of the important languages that needs to be everywhere in the translation systems! (It was one of the languages mentioned in the group of several top!) sorry Mr.Director! ;)

[magicol546]

#t = 24m30s

[discy12345]

@brianlrandall I don't notice it directly but I believe we dutch are by nature very sceptical.

[brianlrandall]

Is it just me or do all these VPRO videos seem to have a negative "you better be careful or you're going to get screwed by the man" slant to them?

[aniketpallav]

Hey.. can anyone tell me about the small soundtrack being played at 12:00 ..? thanks

[donnie8986]

@Thelavendel I don't really have time to watch all of this documentary, so why will you never watch "weird porn" again? lol or can you maybe give me the time in the video? thanks!