re: #458 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

Except that a number of other major search engines now rely in part on Google’s results. There’s a reason that the phrase “Google it” has largely replaced “do an internet search for it” in common parlance. In a perfect world, everyone knows the exact IP address of every resource on the entire web so they can go to it all directly without the need for an intermediary. We’re not there yet. Until we are, search engines are de facto gatekeepers. And there’s a legitimate discussion to be had about the power of those gatekeepers, the role it plays in modern society, and what if any limits should be placed on it.

“Find one that doesn’t censor child porn” is specious. It really is, and it’s getting irritating. I have said, over and over and over, that it’s not about that.