Google Boss Sundar Pichai Warns of Threats To Internet Freedom (bbc.com) 63
The free and open internet is under attack in countries around the world, Google boss Sundar Pichai has warned. BBC: When I asked about whether the Chinese model of the internet -- much more authoritarian, big on surveillance -- is in the ascendant, Pichai said the free and open internet "is being attacked." Importantly, he didn't refer to China directly but he went on to say: "None of our major products and services are available in China." With legislators and regulators proving slow, ineffective, and easy to lobby -- and a pandemic taking up plenty of bandwidth - right now the democratic West is largely leaving it to people like Sundar Pichai to decide where we should all be heading. He doesn't think he should have all that responsibility.
Let me understand his logic (Score:5, Insightful)
Google monitoring == good
Re:Let me understand his logic (Score:5, Insightful)
Google selling all the juicy data to everybody and his dog == best
Re: Proportionality (Score:4, Insightful)
Google monitoring == Figuring out what brand of weed whacker to advertise to you
No, google monitoring is to figure out whatever gives google more money. This can change according to many circumstances, and I suspect that your ability to change what goes on inside Google is not that much greater than the ability of a Chinese person to change his government
IBM helped Nazis kill jews does google want to do (Score:1)
IBM helped Nazis kill jews does google want to do same type of stuff in china?
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A better analogy would be Alcoa selling aluminum to the Nazis in 1939, IMHO.
Re: Proportionality (Score:1)
Re:Proportionality (Score:4, Insightful)
Government monitoring == Looking for reasons to send you to jail, or dissident activity, or unpatriotic activity, or speech that violates some arbitrary regulation, code or ideal
Google monitoring == Figuring out what brand of weed whacker to advertise to you
I fail to see the difference between the two.
Google Geofence Warrants Endanger Privacy [forbes.com]
Re: Proportionality (Score:4, Insightful)
I still see very little difference.
Re: Proportionality (Score:1)
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You want to place accountability anywhere other than where it belongs; on the person who committed the act of murder.
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Re:Proportionality (Score:4, Interesting)
Here's a thought for you:
If Google is monitoring everything you do, so is the government, because they can go collect it from Google at any time.
The only difference is whether or not Google is profiting from their all pervasive surveillance.
Re: Proportionality (Score:4, Insightful)
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Government monitoring == bad
Google monitoring == good
To be fair, Google has yet to kick in anyone's door and drag them off.
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Can't figure out if that's sarcasm or you mean it but I'd seriously say this is it. EU actually had for a long time (relative to the short period since we actually have everywhere mobile data connected devices) a data retention directive that was eventually declared invalid in 2014 "because blanket data collection violated the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, in particular the right of privacy": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Now in principle t
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The big attack now, all because of corporations like Google who thought they were the GODS OF HUMAN MIND SPACE and they decide what is seen and what is not seen. Yeah, that went down well, and resulted in the death of Google, you haven't seen it yet but the hate makes it inevitable.
FUCK OFF GOOGLE and take you privacy invasive data mining, censorship, propaganda promotion and ads the fuck with you, stinking rotten filth. Time to boycott all Google employees as well as the corporation itself.
Misleading comparison (Score:1)
Is Google in control armies, tanks, fighter jets and nuclear submarines?
Sure Google monitoring is probably bad for some, but Government monitoring is definitely 1000x worse no matter how you look at it.
The mere fact that they're both monitoring does not make it right to see them as equally good or bad.
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let's fix the title (Score:2)
s/of/He\ is/
There. That's more like it.
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Threat No 1 (Score:4, Insightful)
Censorship through community standards.
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No. Maybe threat number 8.
While this is also censorship and not good,
it changes all the time and is not comparable to top down controls by mighty states or corporations.
Also there are many communities, every community has the right to set its own standards.
This is a damaging form of whataboutitsm.
It distracts from the real dangers and points to social justice warriors.
These are often irritating, but it is a distraction from the the real threats.
And big G (Score:2)
only cares if it's affecting their bottom line... "We can't sell products in China". I think they could care less about the internet being free/open.
Why is this man believed when he speaks (Score:2, Interesting)
on a subject that had *all* of the following characteristics:
1. Hot-button politicization
2. Personal and professional incentive to spin spin spin
3. Personal and professional incentive to cozy up to both the leadership in China and the leadership in the US and the West
4. Track record of both personally cozying up to advocates of the walled garden model and overseeeing an organization with at best a lukewarm support of the principles of free expression on its platform
And most importantly, why is it that when
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Track record of both personally cozying up to advocates of the walled garden model and overseeeing an organization with at best a lukewarm support of the principles of free expression on its platform
That would be the advertising businesses schizophrenic way, sell soap, make Suzi Creamcheese feel good about it. Sundar is now the lead cock sucker at Slurp.com and seems to be losing his taste for it, (insert fake sympathy here.)
Authoritarianism. (Score:1)
We may see the rise of Chinese-style authoritarianism in the west in our lifetimes, and it can happen for a multitude of reasons, but one small part will be because of a reaction to a handful of megacorp's behavior and the desire for someone to do something.
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This comment really needs to be voted up.
TV and Radio are more heavily censored (Score:1)
TV and Radio are more heavily censored than the open internet.
Might want to get your own backyard in order first (Score:4, Insightful)
Given that people can't even voice dissenting opinions internally within Google, I'm not sure they're in any position to criticize anyone else.
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Google pays people for work to be completed, not to listen to opinions and politics. Just about any employer would tell you to stfu about bad mouthing the company or getting into political arguments.
Re:Might want to get your own backyard in order fi (Score:4, Insightful)
Damore wrote his memo because he was sent to diversity training and they solicited feedback. You say they pay people for "work to be completed" - they also pay them to attend bullshit "diversity training" that does nothing.
https://www.theguardian.com/te... [theguardian.com]
"But when the organisers of internal meetings about Google’s policies on diversity and inclusion invited feedback, Damore decided to relay his thoughts."
Damore's memo shouldn't even be controversial as it is based on science.
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Does he realize that... (Score:2)
... he's the threat?
Pot⦠(Score:2)
Let me guess (Score:2)
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I'd rather they be some number approaching infinity...
Hahahahaha (Score:5, Insightful)
The biggest threat to internet freedom is Google itself, as can be seen by what it does with YouTube. What Pichar means is that China is the biggest threat to HIS freedom.
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For values of "freedom" that start and finish with his annual bonus and stock options.
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To his bottom line, rather.
How dare you not let me make money off your subjects?
Was he looking in a mirror? (Score:3)
Pichai and google/youtube in general have always rolled over and suppressed information for murderous authoritarian slave holding nation$ all over the globe.
Do they only get their panties in a bunch when some part of the US acts like they might investigate.
Or do they simply suppress news reports of their 'google freedom efforts' in those nations?
Weird? Okay, going back to my coffee.
Bubble (Score:3)
These people live in a bubble so big it's ridiculous.
And bullshitting so much it's even more ridiculous.
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These people live in a bubble so big it's ridiculous.
And bullshitting so much it's even more ridiculous.
As last year's election circus proved, lots of people out there love bullshit. Bullshit is rampant because it works.
And you, Google? (Score:1)
A bad thing? (Score:2)
Importantly, he didn't refer to China directly but he went on to say: "None of our major products and services are available in China."
I'm failing to see how this is a bad thing
Google FLOCing of right leaning people is OK then? (Score:2)
If Google censors then it is OK. If others then it is not OK?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Meanwhile (Score:2)
google is geolocating my ipv6 tunnel endpoint as being in China, so they are giving me chinese IP addresses for ssl.gstastic.com, which do not respond to US traffic.
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Pot calling kettle Black (Score:1)
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