Google’s Vint Cerf Interviewed and the Search for Authenticity

Have you ever noticed how the web is filled with religious metaphors? Some people call me a “Search Marketing Evangelist”, maybe because I always speak loud and clear to anyone who wants to hear about the new consumer-driven advertising manifesto. In that spirit, I often refer to Google as the facilitator of truth, because of the waste management process it has to go through in order to find great & authentic stories and present it to you in a consistent and orderly fashion. Google weeds out the crap so you have meaningful resources in the SERPs. As a result, a lot of the search marketing images have some kind of a religious significance: the search of authenticity, democracy & freedom and spreading of ideas and opinion. Gord himself talked about it a while ago on his post about The Evolving Whiff of Authencity which you might want to read as well as in the testing of the Google Toolbar Search Term Suggestions Tool. Every concept surrounding search marketing revolves around the search of authenticity and the tools we currently have help humanity finding the essence in everything we search for.

Talking of essence, Google vice president and chief internet evangelist Vint Cerf (known as the father of the Internet) was interviewed by Suisse publication Das Magazin in Zurich in late November. Here are a few of his statements during this interview that I found specifically inspiring:

“Humanity should understand the blessings of the internet. Our history shows: the more people go online, the more flat hierarchies are becoming.”
“The more people join, the more free the world will be. Indeed I have almost religious faith in this.”
“What were doing is this: Everyday we break our heads on the question of how to organize and archive the whole worlds knowledge to make it accessible to millions of people. That is our vision.”
“99% of all applications are yet to be invented. The internet is mainly software, and software is only limited by our imagination, and our ability to turn ideas into programs. The most trivial will be: our fridge, our oven, our entertainment gadgets “ everything will move online. People will start-up companies to manage other peoples devices.
“Asked about a cult-like worship surrounding Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin: Mr. Brin and Mr. Page are humble, decent and thoughtful men. They are very smart. They talk little. But when they do, you should listen.”
“Asked about the security of the data Google stores in their data centers: First of all, were securing our data through very strict internal rules. Employees which don’t stick to those precise rules are immediately suspended from the company. We have the same sensibility about this as a bank might have. On the data centers: Even when we don’t make them look like a CIA facility we know means to ensure that no one had ever reason to complain about the security of their data with us.”
“On self-censoring in Chinese search results: We debated this internally for one year. Then we decided to offer a censored search engine, but to not offer other services, like Gmail or Blogger. ... We do not want to be getting into a situation where the government asks us: Who wrote this critical blog? Vint adds: Besides: This is the law in China. We don’t want to break the laws of any country. “
“We were and still are very conservative with information about our product plans. We don’t communicate what we do until we do it.”
“We never gave anyone reason for real justified criticism. We have been ordered by courts to release information, but we fought for 9 months and won. We are dependent on our users as we handed them the option to break up with us quickly.”
“The company has a big responsibility and is grateful if it is reminded of it.”
“Asked on when Google will be powerful enough to pressure the Chinese government into accepting Google’s values: We convince governments, but we don’t pressure them.”
“Asked about Google’s recipe for success: Don’t be a threat. Do no evil.”

Vint Cerf, Google’s “Chief Internet Evangelist”

There is something profound about the vision Google has which is led by Vint Cerf. He must be proud to see what it is becoming. Are you converted yet? 

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Comments

1. I think you meant “Authenticity”

   In any case, thanks for the blog!

   vint

   Posted by vint cerf on 12/19 at 05:38 AM

2. Oups. Sorry. I corrected it. Thanks! Alex

   Posted by Alexandre Brabant on 12/19 at 12:54 PM