Why Google Became A Carrier-Humping, Net Neutrality Surrender Monkey

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Why Google Became A Carrier-Humping, Net Neutrality Surrender Monkey

Great piece from Wired on the Google-Verizon deal. Here’s a quote that really drives it home:

Google easily could have attached conditions to all Google-powered Android phones, banning carrier software that can’t be removed just as easily as any other app. (Try getting rid of Sprint’s Nascar app on the EVO — if you don’t have root, it can’t be done.). These conditions also could have banned the blocking of Android 2.2’s built-in ability to be a Wi-Fi hot spot, which both Sprint and Verizon have crippled. And finally, they could require that any user be able to choose to ditch the carrier’s customizations in favor of a stock Android build that can be updated, over the air, to the latest official, non-carrier build, as soon as it’s released.

Google did none of those things.

They really need to drop that date hippie motto “Don’t be evil”.