Big Brother May Be Watching, but His Eyesight Isn’t Very Good

There was a lot of nervous chatter when gmail was introduced about the google ads that would run in the sidebars of people’s emails. Though the anxiety was allayed — a little — when Google insisted that the ads were generated by a computer and promised that no one would be reading your email, many of us couldn’t help but feel like Google, they of the tagline “don’t be evil,” was becoming a little too much like Big Brother.

Well, if Google is Big Brother, Big Brother’s eyesight (or insight) isn’t so good these days. Have any of you noticed the Google ads on the left side of this site? (Rather: do any of you actually read the google ads?) On the whole I like ’em (since they make me a nominally paid blogger). That is, I like that they exist. But today, I couldn’t help but grumble a little at what they’re advertising…because for a whlie this morning it was all anti-abortion, pro-adoption, crisis-pregnancy type services. Gr.

Now I know what you’re all going to say…Google’s not to blame. We should be mad at Planned Parenthood for not shelling out for a Google ad themselves. Fine. Maybe. But aren’t these google ads supposed to flag sites, services, etc. that are in line with the content of your writing, not opposed to it? Their (otherwise brilliant) algorithm must be off kilter today. Either that, or Big Brother might be trending Right.