Google last week did something that is really hard to find objectionable: It said it deleted quite a few (“tens of thousands”) nude pictures stolen from celebrities. But as with anything that involves such an influential company as Google, this move creates a precedent, and it’s a dangerous one.

This is classic slippery-slope territory. Before I detail the many reasons this decision could bring about terrible consequences, I should note that Google might have chosen to take this path for a deeply cynical and Machiavellian reason: It creates a much steeper barrier to entry for any startup that is even thinking about challenging Google’s search empire. Google is in a dominant position that allows it to dedicate a large staff to the cost-containment task of deleting things, but startups need everyone committed to revenue-generating activities.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

…