As Google turns 20, it can’t take our goodwill for granted

As Google marks its 20th anniversary, our relationship with it isn’t quite as uncomplicated as it used to be. In the wake of Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, and fears that the Russians exploited Facebook and YouTube to influence the 2016 presidential election, people are more wary of tech companies these days–especially ones that harvest personal data. This trend won’t reverse itself anytime soon. Google, given the enormity of its presence in our lives, will bear that brunt more than almost anyone else. Over the years, consumers have grown more aware–in part because of Facebook’s privacy gaffes–that the reason those cool-and-free Google services exist is because of Google’s massive advertising business, which is fueled in large part by the personal information of users. Given the anxiety we already have about where AI will land on the benevolent/dystopic scale in the future, Google will need all the trust it can get if it wants to matter as much in 2038–and beyond—as it does today.