For those unfamiliar, Cory Doctorow is a professional writer of fiction. Like my favorite sci fi authors, he crafts stories about an "imagine if these conditions were true, how would that world work" starting point. His selection in news carries a similar bent, he likes a news story that would be interesting if true. It's generally best to enjoy them as that.
Take a moment, imagine a world where Google actually does this, then remember that it is probably fiction and get on with life until you see the story reappear with journalistic research behind it.
Edit: I see Mr. Doctorow updated with a note that he contacted google and google is preparing a response. +1 for journalism.
Although Cory Doctorow is a professional fiction writer, he is also a journalist and writer. Just because he has written some scifi doesn't imply that he is some sort of pathological liar.
For those unfamiliar, Cory Doctorow is a professional writer of fiction. Like my favorite sci fi authors, he crafts stories about an "imagine if these conditions were true, how would that world work" starting point. His selection in news carries a similar bent, he likes a news story that would be interesting if true. It's generally best to enjoy them as that.
Take a moment, imagine a world where Google actually does this, then remember that it is probably fiction and get on with life until you see the story reappear with journalistic research behind it.
Edit: I see Mr. Doctorow updated with a note that he contacted google and google is preparing a response. +1 for journalism.