January 18, 2008

Google Goes To Washington

Big "G" has opened offices in Washington, DC to lead lobbying efforts supporting Net Neutrality, Internet Copyrights, and to help protect Intermediary Liabilities.

George Assimakopoulos
Principal Manager

It seems that policymaking and regulatory activity in Washington, D.C. affect Google and their users more every day. So Google has opened up shop 3 blocks away from The White House. As Google will admit - it’s important to be involved in the policy process and contribute to the debates that eventually impact our life on the Internet. I had the pleasure of visiting Google's new DC headquarters today.

Along with the standard perks of a full-service subsidized dining cafeteria, very-cool work spaces, and game rooms that would entice even the most extreme geeks to chill-out, Google-DC has made it very clear what their mission is:

"To defend the Internet as a free and open platform for information, communication and innovation."

Trust me...this is not a freedom-march on DC. Rather, Google has a legitimate purpose for setting up offices in our nation's capitol. Google is engaged in policy debates over privacy and spyware, trademark dilution, patent law reform, voice-over-Internet-protocol (VOIP) regulation, and more. Being a global company, Google must maintain their presence closely to lawmakers and decision groups to protect their company's assets - and the interests of every Googler out there, (dont deny it...you know you are!).

To learn more about Google's new DC office and mission - keep an eye on Google's Blog.