Google to Create a Private Internet Alternative?

dbucowboy writes "Times Online UK reports that Google is working on a project to create its own global internet protocol network, a private alternative to the internet controlled by the search giant, according to sources who are in commercial negotiation with the company. Should Google successfully launch an alternative internet, it is theoretically possible for them to block out competitor websites and only allow users to access websites that have paid Google to be shown to their users." We discussed this topic during summer last year.

Comments

Are they? Really?

[AltGrendel]

Actually, I think that Google is simply trying to explore different possibilities for new business. This doesn't mean that they will come to pass, but at least they looked into the cost/benefit of the idea.

And who knows? Maybe they will do it. But just because they can doesn't mean they will.

Rumors greatly exagerated....

[dfn_deux]

Google to create its own Internet? Unlikely. The whole reason that Google is an important company is that it crawls through the publicly-accessible parts of the Internet in order to index its contents. If Google is to retain its premier position in the search engine market, then it will very much so remain firmly connected to the existing Internet. This is why I agree with the parent post: It is quite reasonable to believe that Google might require this bandwidth for its own purposes. There is nothing at all wrong with this. The Internet, after all, is merely a network of networks. All this means is that behind Google's accessible IP addresses lurks a mammoth network of its own.

Re:Google Fanboyism at it's whackiest

[ceejayoz]

I almost can't wait for Google's facade of goodness to slip.

Already done, in my opinion, the moment I first saw a Google Flash ad for McDonalds.

I use adblocking plugins and specifically left Google ads unblocked due to their nature. No longer. Ugh.

But would this be -bad-?

[TellarHK]

I see lots of obvious things to be worried about, but at the same time, I see a few things that're actually not so bad. If Google were to go this route, the only question is how far they'd go. Could this network simply be a way for Google to slap down enough bandwidth for the "Google Cube" rumors, or would it be a wider-access thing intended for Total Domination? So far, Google hasn't gone evil despite the best efforts of many to try and call them out on it, and as long as there's a way to make any money and not be evil, I'm pretty sure Google would do it long before they'd consider anything else barring a stockholder revolt. (The only thing I can forsee being a true evil-catalyst)

Now on the other hand, with the Telcos getting all bitchy about Google and others using "their pipelines", I've been wondering just how long it might take for someone to start up an "OtherNet" so to speak, restricted to non-commercial use like the old days were. It might be slow, but you -can- get an unlimited-long-distance line and slap modems together, and combine that with a meshed wireless, etc.

Re:Or The Real Security 2.0...

[PatrickThomson]

Nail on the head. So many of the awful things we're stuck with today on the internet are because of design decisions made when resources were scarce, or problems were not envisioned - I've always said that the only way to fix it is to throw most of it away and start again. TCP, IP, all old and flawed.

Re:Or The Real Security 2.0...

[Luyseyal]

Maybe they're just rolling out IPv6 for the masses?

Dreaming,
-l