Quote of the Day: Google Lawsuit and special treatment for "their" users

"We look forward to answering (the Texas Attorney General) questions because we're confident that Google operates in the best interests of our users."

-- Don Harrison, deputy general counsel, Google

Google's methods for recommending websites are being reviewed by Texas' attorney general. The early-stage investigation was launched following complaints that Google is abusing its power (with over 60% of the search engine market) and unfairly revising who shows up at the top of the page.

Most likely, this is a fishing expedition. Several businesses, not happy with reasonable policies by Google -- and the deep dark truthful Internet -- had a hissy fit about their placement on Google search results. Their whines and screams and tears were loud enough to be heard by the Texas Attorney General.

More likely then not, someone with much larger aspirations, he decided to 'look into' the issue. I certainly don't think that Google is putting their services, artificially, at the top of the list.

But --

Any truth to this, any truth at all, and Google is toast. If we can't believe Google results, we have zero use for Google search. And it is Google search, not Gmail, not Google Apps, certainly not Android, that accounts for essentially every penny in the many billions Google earns in revenues and profits every year.

But here's the thing I really want to know: not whether or not Google is biased and may be moving up (or down) certain results. What I want to know is, are they doctoring their algorithm so that the services they offer, the markets they have recently entered, are somehow given more love in the results? Fact is, it's those top 3 results that really truly matter the most. As the web moves from 'fixed' to mobile, on the smaller smartphone screen those top 3 become even more critical; maybe there's only a top 1.

So how do you get into that top 1, or top 1-3 spot? Does the algorithm favor real-time? What if Google is about to make a play for Twitter? Does it favor a mobile-optimized site? As Google gives Android away, might they give away tools for building a site optimized for that Android screen? The more Google moves into new businesses, the greater the pressure -- to do what is right and to do what is wrong.

Given their cryptic behavior in China, their abandonment of the principal of net neutrality, my faith in Google is most definitely in question.

And by the way: re-read that quote again. Google operates in the best interests of "our" users? What does that mean? An Android user? A Gmail user? Awfully curious pronoun placement, methinks.