Since the late 90s, Google's founding motto and unofficial slogan has been, "Don't be evil." Simply put, don't be a dick. Don't exploit users. Don't taze me, bro.

Recently, Google announced changes to their privacy policy that will go into effect March 1. These simple changes caused the tech world to get all hot and bothered. In essence, the new privacy policy takes all the information Google has always collected from you and keeps it in one place. It's like keeping all your silverware in one drawer instead of spreading it across your house. What this means is that you could search for vegan recipes in Google search and later that day find a YouTube ad related to vegan recipes. Evil?

Overall, Google has done a pretty damn good job remaining on the "un-evil" end of the spectrum - a task easier said than done, considering the amount of information Google has. Gmail, one of Google's most popular products, has over 350 million users, sending billions of emails every day. If I had that kind of information, you'd probably find me living in a secret cave somewhere plotting world domination.

I love Google's new privacy policy. I use Google all the time. This column was written in Google Docs, I'll send it to my editor using Gmail, and he'll likely read it using Google's web browser, Chrome. Why would I want all those services to be compartmentalized? Still not convinced that this is a good thing? Looking to opt-out? In the words of Mick Jagger, you can't always get what you want. You can, however, change your account's settings so as not to receive personalized ads.

At nearly the same time, Twitter did something actually evil. The micro-blogging service announced that it will begin censoring tweets in countries with a less-than-ultimate stance on freedom of speech. Twitter has, over the past few years, been the go-to online service for protesters and revolutionaries looking to share information.

This isn't total and complete censorship but more of a middle ground. Before, if a tweet was "illegal" in its country of origin, Twitter would delete it altogether, globally.  Now, it will merely vanish to anyone viewing that tweet in that country. So, I could read the tweet of a Syrian protestor, but none of his kinsmen could see it. This is the 21st century. Technology means freedom of speech. Countries should act accordingly.

It's not a stretch to say the recent revolutions and civil uprisings would not have been the same with censored social media. Twitter's announcement states, "The tweets must continue to flow." But what if those tweets come from someone who isn't buddy-buddy with their government? They'll be silenced. Where would we as a global community be if this had happened five years ago?

In less than 140 characters: Google, keep doing what you're doing. Twitter, don't be evil.