There's been a fair bit of commentary from this post on Google's AutoLink. Here's the thing - people complain that Google's service is "evil" because content producers have no opt-out option.

Well. I hope none of the people who make that complaint ever use any of the following pieces of equipment then:

• VCR's that have commercial skip capability, or fast forward
• TiVO or ReplayTV (or any PVR), using either 30 second skip or ad skip
• Any music copying capability that moves songs from "their intended place on an album" to a tape, iPod, custom CD (you get the idea)

With all of those tools, the original content producer has no opt out capability. In fact, most of us - including many of the same people complaining about AutoLink - have raised a hue and cry (properly, IMHO) over the RIAA/MPAA attempts to kill off those capabilities. But hey - if you oppose AutoLink on the grounds that content producers have no ability to opt out, then you better be willing to bend over and take it from the RIAA and MPAA. Because it's the same issue. The only difference is the size of the entity protesting.

Update: Looks like Scoble better give up his TiVo. After all, it's just horrible that it provides a butler service, allowing him to view content in ways that the producers don't control. Ditto any MP3 players you have lying around too, Scoble. Heck - why don't we forbid anything but read only CD's and DVD's - that'll keep us safe from anyone who wants to shaft those nice content producers. I'm sure that they have our best interests at heart, after all. You can send me the TiVo Scoble - clearly, it's evil technology...