Google: Behind the Screen (IJsbrand van Veelen VPRO 2006)
June 5, 2010 | 
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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
Duration : 0:47:7
[youtube TBNDYggyesc]
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A lot of nerds in …
A lot of nerds in this documentary…
the old dude at 8: …
the old dude at 8:37 got some elf ears hahaha
24m30s
24m30s
No, that isn’t it.. …
No, that isn’t it.. I mean @ 18:53
@DerekLancee …
@DerekLancee Superman by Goldfinger
@Thelavendel Damn.. …
@Thelavendel Damn… I’ve been doing that for quite a long time.. I’m screwd
Is there anybody …
Is there anybody that knows the title of the song with that horn!? I Love that song
It would be good to …
It would be good to translate this in to Spanish, because the content is really interesting and should be made available to the vast population of the World.
Thanks for posting this…It seems we are enslaving ourselves without anyone’s help. I will think twice about my Gmail account in future I will be more careful as to what I store on their servers.
I will never use …
I will never use google when I search for really weird ever again.
Who does more than …
Who does more than Google for Internet?
Thanks for another …
Thanks for another great vpro “backlight” documentary.
One issue not touched on is the weak spot Google presents as a primary internet etc resource -
a blow-out of the physical infrastructure underlying the virtual world of Google would be catatstrophic.
What a negative and …
What a negative and idiotic interview. They are a good company and what they are doing is SIMPLY AMAZING. Seriously amazing. They are releasing a free or very cheap operating system next year and I can’t wait. Good buy microsoft rip off company.
Love Google. Wish I …
Love Google. Wish I could work for them
ok, you are very …
ok, you are very far behind, but your comment was also posted 10 months ago. Electricity, cars, and every piece of technology in the world have come from funding from the elite. Google has provided me with the ability to do research on materials that would have taken centuries to gather by books. We need to keep educating people, and waking them up. With out google or the rest of the internet that would be impossible. We havent woken up since our first civilization. Look up
The fact that 9/11 …
The fact that 9/11 was a fraud is old news. The funny thing about it is that most people aren’t very interested —– unless another false flag operation occurs. That will hold their attention for a bit and so on……
If you type in ” …
If you type in “Truth about 9/11″ of course your going to get a list of skeptic sites; it implies that what happened wasn’t the actual truth. Try simply typing in 9/11.
Yeah, I noticed …
Yeah, I noticed that right away to, even his voice is the same as in the matrix!
yeah sure he did… …
:D
yeah sure he did…cuz i did too!! watch the video again (“the scene where the google text box is shown with many search texts one after the other”)
@12:07 What’s the …
@12:07 What’s the name of the song please?
‘Google is just a …
‘Google is just a group of individuals responding to consumer needs, we are not policy makers’, this is not only naive but the exact motivation to any multi-national corporation. Basicaly we make the technology and develop the products that are most profitable then worry about repercussionbs if they arise. This is not a sensible approach, unfortunatly the only monetarily viable approach in this bulls#!t current monetary system we live in. Dont blame google (well not entirely), blame the banks!!
12:05 Does anybody …
12:05 Does anybody know the name of that song?
If “Don’t be evil” …
If “Don’t be evil” is Google`s motto, then why are there specific videos blanked out by google`s adverts?
It is censorship when it targets some, not others. If it is the `tube` doing it, then maybe Marissa Mayer could ask them nicely not to abuse her company`s ads. She looks soo – aah…
Excellent documentary, like all of VPRO I`ve seen.
20:00
20:00
Cerf est un nom …
Cerf est un nom JUIF ! once more !
Hmmz. The …
Hmmz. The grandfather of the internet looks suspisicualy like the great architect from th matrix =:-{>])