I’ve been meaning for a long time, to write about Google’s very pro-nuclear stance.
Then today, I found something that was both amusing and a wake-up call.
I have, for the past 16 years, run an anti-nuclear website – nuclear-news.net. Today, I typed into Google Search:
“Who owns nuclear-news.net?”
And here is Google’s answer:
The online news service at nuclear-news.net, also known as World Nuclear News (WNN), is supported by the World Nuclear Association. WNN is based within the Association’s London Secretariat. The Association is an international industry organization with a global mandate to communicate about nuclear energy.
Well fancy that! I had no idea that WNN promoted the nuclear-free cause. Well of course, it doesn’t. Interestingly one does not “own” a website name, – one licenses it from a domain names company. Even if you make up the name yourself, as I did. And I still have the license. So – poo to the WNN.
And to Google. What a sad decline in morality! They started out with that noble motto: “Don’t Be Evil”
Back in 2008, if you typed “nuclear news” into Google Search – my website would come up at or very near the top. Google’s system then prioritised its list according to two considerations:
That system’s gone long ago, and Google has at least had the grace to abandon its former motto. Its now motto is “Do the right thing“.
Now isn’t that an interesting motto? Sounds similar to “Don’t Be Evil” – and yet, and yet… it’s not really the same. You see “the right thing” depends on who decides between right and wrong.
For a start, in today’s zeitgeist – the culture of economic growth – the right thing is what makes the most money. Therefore, Google correctly prioritises the websites that pay Google the most in sponsorship.
But that priority leads on to other considerations. For a company like Google, well, it’s essential to keep the most powerful economic interests onside. So, the weapons companies, Western militarism, the nuclear industry, and the other polluting industries get priority. And the Gazans and other impoverished communities don’t matter much.
Anyway, as I don’t pay Google any sponsorship money, my website comes up at something like page 154 on Google search, when looking for “nuclear news”.
I’m not writing this to get you to go to my website. And quite a healthy number of viewers do go there each day, anyway, without Google’s help.
The thing is – be aware of Google’s priorities. They are not interested in the facts. We all know that economic progress is more important than the truth, don’t we?
And at the same time, you might fairly accuse me of hypocrisy. I use Google Search all the time. It is tremendously useful. One just needs to be aware of the sources of information, and of Google keeping its nose clean by not too much offending the powerful and wealthy.
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
Greenpeace Media Release Greenpeace Australia Pacific has slammed Donald Trump’s support of deep sea mining…
By Walt Zlotow Some dare not call it genocide Folks following the ongoing Israeli genocide…
Don't Nuke the Climate Media Release On 26 April 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant…
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton: "Sir Humphrey, please, take a seat. We must engage in a…
Sky News host Sharri Markson has claimed that polls favouring a Labor victory in the…
By Denis Hay Description Learn how to use preferential voting wisely and scrutinise candidates for…
View Comments
Thanks Noel,
I'll freely admit to being anti-nuclear, and also a searcher for info.
Most if not all of us use Google, but I have to say that I've never seen your site mentioned. Just now tried to no avail:
"nuclear news"
"nuclear news australia"
"nuclear information"
"information about nuclear energy"
"is nuclear energy good"
and finally "who owns nuclear-news.net"
In the first lot you were nowhere to be seen, and for the last one you came in second.
But, as you say, they "do the right thing" ..... don't they??
Why do people trust search engines, and now AI such as Co-pilot. They are only able to find information that is available to them, and rarely will they go past the most popular answers. Everything depends on your search term, or prompt for AI.
Thanks Noel, but that’s not all Google users should to be concerned about.
A recent report in The Times of Israel noted: Google’s parent company, Alphabet, on Tuesday agreed to buy Israeli-founded cybersecurity unicorn Wiz in an all-cash deal for a staggering $32 billion. The deal, the largest-ever purchase of an Israeli tech company, was hailed across Israel as a sign of the country’s technological prowess and resilience during the challenging war period.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-biggest-exit-in-israeli-history-google-buying-cyber-unicorn-wiz-for-32-billion/
Another report noted (in part): The price tag – 65 times Wiz’s annual revenue – has raised eyebrows and further solidified the close relationship between Google and the Israeli military.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/oogle-wiz-cybersecurity-data-deal/289413/
Another report notes (in part): The acquisition of Wiz, a cybersecurity firm founded by ex-members of Unit 8200, further entrenches Google’s stakes in AI-driven military technology, (a senior researcher in Human Rights Watch) told MEE, citing concerns raised by rights groups who accuse Unit 8200 of participating in mass surveillance and rights abuses against Palestinians.
Unit 8200 has developed and deployed mass surveillance and technology systems that are incompatible with human rights. Google’s investment in Unit 8200 alumni raises serious concerns about its potential complicity in human rights abuses.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/google-playing-fire-acquiring-israeli-company-founded-unit-8200-veterans
The Mint Press Report noted Unit 8200 also spies on Americans. Whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the National Security Agency regularly shared the data and communications of U.S. citizens with the Israeli intelligence group. “I think that’s amazing…It’s one of the biggest abuses we’ve seen,” he said.
The same report went on to note: Today, former Unit 8200 agents not only create much of the world’s spyware, but also the security features that claim to protect against unwanted surveillance. A MintPress investigation found that three of the six largest VPN companies in the world are owned and controlled by an Israeli company co-founded by a Unit 8200 veteran.
Prima facie, it seems that if you want your info to end up with the Israelis, use Google.
Thank you, Julian P. Your comment should be an article in itself. I did think that I had barely scratched the surface of how evil Google actually is. But you've certainly enlightened me, and probably a few others.
Alas, we are all using these very morally compromised digital thingies - the Search Engines, Facebook, X, Ti Tok, Threads, Mastodon ......
At this moment, I think that Bluesky is genuinely unbiased and independent. But it's possible that Bluesky, like so many others before it, might succumb to being bought out by one of the greedy and immoral tech billikonaires.
Don't use Google. Use an alternative like Duck Duck Go.
I don't use Google because there are other search engines. Try Brave and Duck Duck Go.
I stopped using Google (and yYutube) after being continually pestered to turn off the script blocker and adblockers I use because I was, at base level, taking money off them. Like Ian I've been using DuckDuckGo for some time now and have no complaints.