Google World: Ken Auletta's "Searching for Trouble"

Google's expansion from an Internet search engine to a multi-dimensional media company may seem shocking, but it is also a natural outgrowth of the direction we are headed.
Nevertheless, the article raises some important questions about the nature of the company's business practices. Is it really designed for pure "customer satisfaction," or does it to cater to advertisers, as Auletta implies?
Google has revolutionized our lives and made things faster and easier. Need to get somewhere in a hurry? Print out a google map. Need to know something for a lecture you have to give? Do a search, and you'll have facts and figures at your fingertips.
Unfortunately, it is not so simple. The Internet spreads a lot of misinformation, and we will shortly turn into machines with no sense of direction if we continue to rely on technology the way we do.
Back to the subject.
On the one hand, Google's growth reflects intelligent business strategies and the ability to cater to people's needs and desires today.
On the other hand, its decision to compete with Amazon in electronic book sales may be going a step too far, especially since they are stepping on the feet of a former investor.
It may be in Google's own interests to be divided by the U.S. government before a sour European Union decides to take matters into its own hands. China has already censored the search engine and blocked YouTube, one of Google's recent acquisitions.
Google is one of the few Internet establishments that has been able to make an abundant profit by reaping the benefits of advertising. Who's to blame them?
Unfortunately, people will because they want a piece of the pie.
Moreover, a free marketplace thrives off of new innovations which stem from many directions. Since the Internet is clearly a central part of our daily and intellectual future, it should be subject to some scrutiny and regulation.