Is Google Becoming The Wal-Mart Of The Internet?

Nary a day goes by that you don’t hear the name of the Internet Search Giant’s name mentioned.  Their stock is trading at over $670 a share.  They buy companies like it’s going out of style.  They continually release new services and refresh current offerings - sending competitors rushing back to the drawing boards. 

So where does it stop? Or should it?  Google has obviously added numerous free features to make using the internet easier and keeping your life organized, but in the end, is anything truly free?  Their advertising network is far-reaching and a money-making machine, but it leaves me to wonder, will there come a day when Google will decide to start charging for their services?  Undoubtedly, large numbers of people now rely on Google’s free service offerings to better manage their lives (myself included,) just what would a sudden increase in price do to their user base?

I’m sure that some people would switch, some would just discontinue using altogether, and others would just pay the fee and move on.  For some, the cost of switching would far outweigh any fees that Google may decide upon.

But how much power will Google end up with?  With the sheer number of searches and information that goes through Google’s servers,  what kind of power does that information equate to?  Remember the Justice Department subpoenas [PC - Mobile] not so long ago?  Google declined them information but this raises the question:

“The real issue here is, is Google being deputized to spy on us? In this case, you could maybe argue that the spying is not that bad, because very little of it is personally identifiable, but what will the next case be?” said Richard M. Smith, a Boston-based software engineer who has written about the Internet age.”  [Link - PC - Mobile]

How much power is too much power?  Too much information?  Just food for thought.

-wS