The corporate culture of tech giants Facebook and Google has occasionally come in for close scrutiny. Both have had storms of controversy over changes to the way information was handled or presented on their sites (info on a Facebook blunder here and Google’s numerous mistakes here). But so far, both have always weathered the storms, sailing (almost) uninterrupted through the outrage of the media, the public, and even government action. To Google and Facebook, their goals justify the outrage and they have traditionally worked through the most major controversies by apologising, fixing and explaining whatever the problem was. For both companies, their insistence on pushing the privacy boundary can be linked to their corporate culture and vision. Both companies profess a desire for an open and connected society. Google’s vision is more focused on data:

Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Facebook, being the ultimate network of people, is about

Making the world more open and connected.

Between them, Facebook and Google control a staggering amount of the world’s internet traffic and personal information. Given their stated penchant for an open flow of information, we should not be surprised when they push against privacy boundaries. Writing in defense of Facebook, well-known tech writer Ben Parr argued it is not and should not be up to Facebook (or, for that matter, Google) to protect information we would rather keep hidden. Instead, users ought not post such information. Facebook and Google are both embracing and urging the move toward and open society by doggedly pursuing their objectives. They are upfront about their goals, even if the detail is sometimes a little hazy, as Parr notes.

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