Google’s announcement should be a right step in addressing the integrity concerns that accompanied AMP since the beginning of the project. AMP was designed by Google to speed up the mobile web. Of course, a faster mobile web means more ad clicks and more revenue for Google. That’s why many considered that AMP is just an ad platform for Google, disguised as an open-source initiative for a better web.
Some even consider AMP as the ultimate tool in forcing everyone to adhere to a set of standards decided within Google. Let’s admit, there are some merits to this claims since AMP listings are frequently on top of search results.
Further, considering that AMP works best when cached on Google servers, many analysts and developers voiced concerns that the Accelerated Mobile Pages Project is just another step in getting everyone in the Google bandwagon.
Of course, the Accelerated Mobile Pages Project indeed improved the speed of the mobile web, eradicated rogue ad networks, improved latencies and more, but all the positive aspects aren’t enough to justify any closed ecosystem.
How Will the New Model Work?
The new body will consist of a Technical Steering Committee, an Advisory Committee and Working Groups. Some of the actors associated with the new governance model are big tech and media giants like The Washington Post, AliExpress, eBay, Cloudflare and Automattic. Other prominent names are Léonie Watson of The Paciello Group, Nicole Sullivan of Chrome and Terence Eden of UK’s Government Digital Service. Google also hinted that, in the foreseeable future, the project could move under the auspices of foundations like the Apache Software Foundation or the Mozilla Foundation.
