Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Senate Investigates Whether Google is Evil: Top 10 Quotes (GOOG)

First up, the Wall Street Journal:
Schmidt Defends Google in Hearing 
Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt defended the company's search practices at a congressional hearing Wednesday as lawmakers came close to saying that the Internet-search service is a monopoly that could use its dominance of online searches to steer users to its own sites.
His appearance, before a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee, pits the search company against review and shopping sites such as Yelp Inc. and Nextag Inc. It also brings to Capitol Hill a fight that has been waged most loudly in Silicon Valley and marks a new level of scrutiny for Google in Washington.

"You do recognize that in the words that are used in antitrust kind of oversight, your market share constitutes monopoly," Sen. Herb Kohl (D., Wis.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee, told Mr. Schmidt. "You recognize you're in that area."
Mr. Schmidt replied that he agreed "we're in that area" before qualifying that by noting that he isn't a lawyer....MORE
And from Mashable:

“We regret what happened and it was a mistake.”

- Eric Schmidt on the illegal pharmacy search results

“I recently Googled myself on Google.”

- Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

“We have to represent the web how it is and not how we wish it to be.”

- Eric Schmidt on pirated content in search results

“I love Google.”

- Al Franken, D-Minn.

“If you don’t know, who does?”

- Al Franken questioning Schmidt about Google’s knowledge of its own favoritism in its search algorithm

“You run the racetrack, own the racetrack, you didn’t have horses for a while but now you do and your horses seem to be winning.”

- Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., comparing Google to a horse race

“Google might be doping the horses.”

- Al Franken, extending the metaphor
...MORE