StandsGoogle's unofficial corporate motto is "don't be evil". On many fronts, outlined below, Google's actions have lived up to its rhetoric. But the US Chamber of Commerce's positions on the key issues of the day are in direct conflict with Google's mission and hurt Google users all around the world. Google's membership in the Chamber of Commerce legitimizes the Chamber. If Google's staff and leadership are truly committed to not being evil, they need to end their membership in the US Chamber of Commerce.
Google works to protect the environment
Google founder Sergey Brin has been a major donor to climate causes, including donating $200,000 to a campaign to keep California's stringent global warming emissions cap in place. He also donated $1 million to support the establishment of a renewable energy fund in California.
But Google's commitment to the environment extends beyond one of its founders. Google's headquarters in Mountain View, CA is powered entirely by solar energy, making it one of the world's largest solar-powered complexes. They are even advancing "Google Earth Engine", which allows scientists and developing countries to track activity causing climate change - like deforestation.
Google has entered into Power Purchase Agreements, committing to purchase power from clean energy facilities across the country. Long-term financial agreements with two wind farms in Oklahoma and Iowa are expected to produce 15% of Google's total energy use by next year. Google has touted its formidable investment in clean energy technology as a model for other corporations, challenging other companies to think about long-term benefits once renewable energy prices are competitive with coal.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of the biggest obstacles to ending our addiction to fossil fuels and addressing the climate crisis. See more on the Chamber's climate and environmental policies here.
Google policies advance an open internet
In 2010, Google moved all searching on its websites and mobile devices from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong in order to provide its users with an open, uncensored internet. In the US, Google is currently involved in an effort to fight the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a law which would bring about a new age of self-censorship online, in which websites aggressively police user content to avoid being blacklisted. Google's President, Eric Schmidt, has called the proposed law "draconian", and would set a "disastrous precedent" for free speech.
Meanwhile, the Chamber is putting massive resources into the fight for SOPA. See more on the Chamber's internet freedom policies here.
Google actively bridges the digital divide
Google is committed to making the internet more accessible to all people, regardless of language or (dis)ability. To that end, they have built a translation tool that allows websites to be translated into dozens of languages, and are advancing "alternative access modes" like keyboard shortcuts, captions, high-contrast views, and speech-to-text technology.
Google recognizes that diversity and inclusiveness are essential to building a strong corporation. They support numerous workplace employee networks, like the Black Googlers Network and Hispanic Googlers Network, to ensure that people of color are supported in their work. Google received a 100% score from the Human Rights Campaign for their protection of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, and these protections extend around the world, even to Google employees in countries that have laws against homosexuality.
On the flip side, the Chamber claims that cities that have anti-discrimination laws are "bad for business". Learn more about the Chamber's anti-LGBT practices here.