rogerd - 9:23 pm on Jun 10, 2003 (gmt 0)

Interesting article that captures the concerns quite well. We've been debating the obligation, or lack thereof, of a dominant force like Google to webmasters. Like an editor of a private magazine, are they free to include and exclude as they wish, even if arbitrary? Or do they at least need reasonable appeal mechanisms for wronged site owners?

So far, the editor metaphor seems to have carried the day. However, there are arguments to be made in the other direction. For years, shopping malls claimed they were private property and had no obligation to allow free speech. As they began to become the dominant community meeting places, however, courts began to find the malls had some obligation to meet this demand.

I think if Google continues to hold or increase its dominance of web searches, they would be well advised to put support mechanisms in place to defuse potential problems. If not, the cries for regulation or intervention by courts will grow louder.