Do no evil is a phrase Google reiterates in its language, culture and brand. The company’s cheerful, primary colors and dedication to solving everything with an algorithm has been the face of Google from the very beginning. But a swelling movement against its net-neutrality statement this week has led many to question Google’s mantra. In an earlier post we warned Google to not be evil, noting its position as representing all that use the Internet in its decision-making (and deal-making) process.

After speculation around Google’s partnership with Verizon running rampant last week, the two companies released a statement yesterday, assuring the world of its support of the open web. Yet the statement seemed contradictory in that it also supported a business’ decision to manage services around internet access.

With growing concern around Google and Verizon’s true intentions behind their partnered proposal, special interest advocates begin to suite up for war. A letter to Google has been spreading online, already receiving hundreds of thousands of signatures. The letter starts with a simple request: don’t be evil.

Dear Google,

As a Google user, I am telling you, ‘Don’t be evil.’ The deal between Google and Verizon is evil, because it threatens the open Internet, which hundreds of millions of people rely on every day. Live up to your founding motto, walk away from this deal and save the Internet.

Sincerely,

[Add your name]

That really puts the pressure on Google, especially as they manage more crossover projects to create more businesses around consumer interests. From entertainment to local navigation, Google is finding any way it can to get to you. Its monetary and time investments around data infrastructure could quickly come into conflict with Google’s myriad of campaigns, placing a powerful burden of responsibility on net-neutral decisions the company makes.

Google’s overlapping interests have raised concern in other areas, including privacy. The search engine’s quest to photograph the globe has come under fire since it was discovered that Google was collecting open wi-fi network information as it drove international city streets. While several governments around the world have taken legal measures against Google, the South Korean government goes a step further, raiding the company’s local office. According to the New York Times,

Police suspect those cars may have illegally captured and stored personal data from wireless networks while they were mapping streets, the Cyber Terror Response Center of the Korean National Police Agency said in a statement.

“We will investigate Google Korea officials and scrutinize the data we confiscated today” to see whether company has violated the country’s laws on communications and privacy, it said.

“We intend to find out what kinds of data they have collected and how much. We will try to retrieve all the original data illegally collected and stored through domestic Wi-Fi networks from the Google headquarters.”