Google’s ad blocking exposes the company’s hypocrisy on net neutrality

[Commentary] Google plans to introduce an ad-blocking feature in the mobile and desktop versions of its popular Chrome browser. Consider Google’s hypocrisy.

The company supported network neutrality, or the idea that Internet service providers should be prohibited from blocking content on the Internet. Google is now seeking to engage in exactly that activity, which it had claimed was among the worst sins possible. Maybe they rationalize that since Google’s heart is in the right place and their words on net neutrality are the correct ones, they can trust that Google would never discriminate against another edge provider or garage start-up by blocking or throttling their free and open choice of ad model. They reason that Google would never be like a big, bad Internet service provider.

This brings us to the second problem that is particular to Google, when it comes to ad blocking without accountability and legitimacy measures that ensure, and independently confirm, Google is are not being anti-competitive. It is more than ironic that Google has demonized ISPs for having the potential to block Internet traffic under the “principle” of net neutrality, and demonized copyright interests’ efforts to shut down notorious piracy websites as “censorship.”

[Scott Cleland is president of Precursor LLC and chairman of NetCompetition]