Jeez, Google, they’re like one step above mimes on the “most widely despised while still nominally being human” scale.

After everyone shuffled into their seats, it was time for the uncomfortable questions to begin. Google got hammered on as well as some of its . Unlike the brain trust at PCWorld, the members of the U.S. Senate were not impressed by the “Yay, open!” explanation, particularly when it comes to privacy. Google might have actually wished it sent a mime after with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI):

Davidson: We’re trying to increase openness, but it’s not no-holds-barred. We do have a content policy in our market. We don’t go after trucking companies for carrying faulty goods, you go after the manufacturer. There’s a balance.

Whitehouse: You do go after the trucking company if they know what they’re carrying. Google’s in a better position to know what’s going on than a seventeen year old that wants to try a cool app. I don’t think that’s a comfortable analogy for you to rely on.

Apple had its own uncomfortable moment when Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-“Chuck”) asked why the company would pull an app with a crude joke, but keep one that helps people drive drunk. Google, of course, allows both, but when Apple declares that curation is a feature, it’s up to the company to take responsibility for that feature and have a good explanation about how it’s applied. Apple’s still working on that.