Alexa keeps a ranking of the world’s top websites by traffic. And while many of the top 5 aren’t surprising, you may not even have heard of some of them!
Of course, with the growth of the currency of the internet, those in the Bitcoin community are interested in these large internet companies accepting Bitcoin. Here’s what each of them have had to say on the subject.
Not surprisingly, Google is the largest website on the planet. And if Google were to begin embracing Bitcoin, it would be a momentous occasion.
And Google has taken some tentative steps into the Bitcoin world. They launched a price calculator on their platform which allows users to check the average value of Bitcoin right in Google’s search menu.
Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt has had good things to say about Bitcoin as well, calling it a “remarkable cryptographic achievement,” and saying that the technology upon which it was built “has enormous value”.
However, though there have been rumours Google was considering accepting Bitcoin, nothing has yet come to light.
Google’s biggest antagonist, Facebook is the second largest website on Earth.
While other big names in the tech world have been vocal on their opinions on Bitcoin, Facebook has been remarkably mum on the subject.
However, that hasn’t stopped others from building on Facebook’s platform. A cryptocurrency tipping app for Facebook made its debut back in June, which allows users to tip each other from within groups.
There was also a trojan floating around on Facebook’s platform which took advantage of users’ computers to mine Litecoin. Facebook shut it down earlier this year.
There have been rumours they are preparing an online money service, but so far nothing has come to light.
YouTube
With the #1 and #3 slot online, it’s clear Google is the king of the internet.
As a content-driven platform, YouTube would be perfect for adopting cryptocurrency. Content creators could accept cryptocurrency tips and donations from their viewers.
And while YouTube has implemented what they call a “tip jar” function, it’s done with fiat currency, not crypto. It’s a step in the right direction, but Google itself takes a 5% fee to process the transaction, as well as a flat rate of $0.22.
With cryptocurrency, the fees would be much lower, but YouTube of course wouldn’t be able to skim their cut off each transaction.
Yahoo
One of the biggest search engines on the planet and one of the oldest internet-based companies, Yahoo’s popularity has waned in favour of Google, but it still holds a strong spot near the top of the internet.
Yahoo has taken a similar path to Google when it comes to Bitcoin. They’ve added a Bitcoin price calculator to their platform, but haven’t taken a deeper plunge.
Yahoo Finance published an article earlier this year which featured some astounding misconceptions about Bitcoin.
Calling Bitcoin “an asset with little underlying value” is arguably false, but saying that “governments can, in theory, shut down bitcoin commerce” is almost completely false. In order to truly shut down Bitcoin transactions, the world’s governments would likely need to shut down the internet as a whole.
While this one article doesn’t sum up the entire company’s views on cryptocurrency, it is disconcerting.
Baidu
Have you heard of Baidu? If not, it’s not surprising. They aren’t a household name in the west.
But in China they’re incredibly popular, seen as China’s answer to Google. And with the Chinese government’s strict controls on what their citizens can and can’t access online, it makes sense that China would have its own search engine.
Baidu actually begun accepting Bitcoin last year around the same time the price began to skyrocket. However, once China’s policy on Bitcoin became less and less clear, Baidu pulled back and canceled their Bitcoin program.
The Next Five
In general, the view of Bitcoin for these online behemoths is bleak. Not one of them has waded further into the world of Bitcoin than simply testing the waters.
But what about the next five? The outlook there is a little better. But that’s a story for another article.
What Are The Internet's Five Giants Saying About Bitcoin?
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