Deleted From the Internet

Posted by Mrs. Mecomber

August 28, 2008

It’s a long-standing joke about Google controlling so much of the Internet that they just may delete it, someday. They actually did (accidentally) delete their own blog a few months ago, amidst much snickering.

cartoon from www.weblogcartoons.com

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

But what if Google removes your website? A huge percentage of Internet users use only Google as their search engine. This guy, Ryan Stewart, found out the hard way.

At first I thought it was just because I was in China and my blog had been blocked. But after asking my Twitter friends to check for me I realized that wasn’t the case. My blog had been completely removed from Google’s index. All of my blog posts were effectively gone to everyone that uses Google, which is basically everyone and especially technology-minded folks that I try to reach as an evangelist.

I was confused, angry, and I felt completely helpless. Everyone uses Google. It was a big referrer to my blog and when I posted tips and tricks for Flash/Flex/AIR I did so knowing that someone could Google the problem and find my blog. My name? No longer my own.

His story is riveting and scary. Stewart confesses that he “broke Google’s laws,” but these things can happen, even by accidentally hitting that “delete” button, as Google did to themselves. Really, I think Google has too much power, too much monopoly. It’s scary to think that if they decide to shun you, you are completely gone from the Internet. There is no real “savings account,” no buffer should this ever happen, by purpose or accident. I really hope to see more folks rise up and start their own search sites and etc.