Sergey Brin: Microsoft and Apple are Killing the Internet

Sergey Brin, who you might know as the co-founder of Google, has said that Apple, Microsoft and the government are killing the internet as we know it. Them's fighting words.

Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin

During an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, Brin let some choice words slip through his mouth. He let it slip that he is scared that the internet as we know it might not be around for all that much longer. His worry seems to be that the political and technological ecosystem fostered by apps, SOPA, PIPA and CISPA would have made it impossible for Google to even get started. And if Google couldn't be born, what possible killer companies are we holding back?

Brin points governments out as the main threat. China and Iran get mentioned as the most troublesome, but the United States doesn't escape his tongue lashing. SOPA and PIPA were both incredibly close to passing, prior to the entire tech world collectively freaking out about the legislation.

But Brin doesn't restrict his ire. He had a few choice comments for Facebook and Apple, too. The walled gardens they have created are “really restrictive,” he said. Those ecosystems are robbing the internet of its life.

He may have a point. The appification of the internet is a little terrifying. Previously, even if websites didn't ostensibly communicate, it was at least possible to pull data out of the site. Apps, however, make it very difficult to move data around. They are “content silos,” containing the information in isolation. That restricts their functionality and makes sharing information painfully difficult.

If you want to read his vitriolic comments, hit up [http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/15/web-freedom-threat-google-brin|The Guardian]

Engadget Photo by : Thomas Hawk