Googlers Protest Removal of Russian App as Bend To Government (bloomberg.com) 44
Google employees have joined the slew of politicians and activists blasting the internet giant for pulling a voting app from Russia's opposition leader, a move critics say showed the company was caving in to the Kremlin. From a report: Staff members complained over the weekend about the Google's decision in internal forums and on memegen, a messaging board that has served as a breeding ground for protests within the company. Images circulating inside Google, which were viewed by Bloomberg News, spoofed its corporate creed about prioritizing users. One picture depicts a man reading a magazine below the slogan, "Putin the user first."
These internal frustrations are the latest in a series of blows to Alphabet's Google operations in Russia, where the company is facing increased political pressure, fines and aggressive demands to police its influential internet services. So far, Google has decided those pressures are still worth operating in the multibillion dollar advertising market. Google and Apple on Friday removed a smart-voting app from Alexey Navalny, an imprisoned critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Google made the decision to remove the app from its online store in Russia after officials threatened to imprison local employees, according to a person close to the company.
These internal frustrations are the latest in a series of blows to Alphabet's Google operations in Russia, where the company is facing increased political pressure, fines and aggressive demands to police its influential internet services. So far, Google has decided those pressures are still worth operating in the multibillion dollar advertising market. Google and Apple on Friday removed a smart-voting app from Alexey Navalny, an imprisoned critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Google made the decision to remove the app from its online store in Russia after officials threatened to imprison local employees, according to a person close to the company.
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No. These are the Googlers who will deplatform and cancel anyone who doesn't follow the TOS. Just like other companies do.
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Is that what you think happened to James Damore? Or to David Fuller [scheerpost.com]? Or to the US Senate [wsj.com]?
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So you complain about people cancelling and suggest those people should have their views at their employer cancelled by firing them?
Typical far right crackpot, hypocritical drivel.
> Note: your employer is paying you to support their goals, not to pursue yours. If you find you can't support their goals, find an employer whose goals you can support, and don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya! Buh-bye!
Incorrect, every employment contract I've had states that I must serve the company and it's
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This is one funny satirical post, man. EVERY company operate in a top-down dictatorial structure. Sometimes the top is the board, sometimes it's the CEO, and sometimes they take turns ram-rodding the staff, but in the end your options when you disagree with the top are:
A) Suck it up and deal.
B) Protesting and getting a reputation for being a "problem." Which is defacto laying the ground work to be fired and have the reason you were ultimately fired passed on to every other job you ever apply for.
C) Le
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Extremists advocate extreme measures in support of their extreme perspectives. Radicals advocate censorship of people they don't like, and protest censorship of ones they do. Likewise, reactionaries are big free speech supporters until you show a nipple or call their god a psychopathic asshole.
Election intereference and influencing (Score:1, Insightful)
Evil countries must never be allowed to interfere and influence in our good countries' elections.
However, our good countries have a duty to improve evil countries by taking an active part in their elections.
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However, our good countries have a duty to improve evil countries by taking an active part in their elections.
The App in question was written by Russians for Russians. Our "interference" would be not bending to the will of an authoritarian party. Mind you, the same authoritarian party that has turned a blind eye to ransomware attacks originating in it's nation and targeting western nations.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
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It's published by a foreign country, apparently in contravention of local laws.
And are you *sure* it's written by Russians?
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They only claim it's illegal because helps coordinate those who oppose the Kremlin's rule. Also, you seem to be unaware how many programmers there are in Russia. It was definitely written by Russians.
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Lol. Russia has programmers, therefore app was written by Russians.
Your logic is... mmm.
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Fine. Go with a baseless conspiracy theory. How is that for sounds logic?
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You admit that the only "evidence" you have that it was written by Russians is speculation -- then label someone else a "conspiracy theorist" for calling you out on your speculation.
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Roman Rubanov is a well known Russian. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/... [apple.com]
But hey, maybe mole people wrote it.
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In case you are not being sarcastic (which in 2021 it is quite possible, as it is nearly impossible to differentiate sarcasm with idiocy)
Is America a Good and Nobel Country? Sure we citizens like to think so, however our history, had America meddling in things that weren't really supportive of a long term national interests. Many of the Wars America was stuck in during the 20th century had been due to us, meddling with a small government, often to appease our allies.
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Best executive summary of the problem.
The list of what Russia wanted removed was found to interfere with their elections. Statement of the fact. The app which was removed was the "voting recommendation" app which was telling Navalny's followers whom to vote for (the list of candidates is available).
Let's leave aside the fact that it told the faithful to vote the communists which are the most corrupt band of scumbags outside the banana dictatorships. That just tells you everything there is to be
Them Employees Protest alot. (Score:3)
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I see you haven't used any Google services in a while :D.
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Ya, the workers down in the search warehouse who have to run around and pick up the search results from the bins and rush them back to the hopper.
Would it have made a difference? (Score:4, Informative)
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Remember, if you can't beat them, beat them harder.
Google needs to learn from Apple (Score:2)
Apple keeps their wagies in their cagies much better than google, Google really needs to start learning from Apple on how to keep them heeled.
No Good Option (Score:3, Informative)
What should Google have done? Maybe more accurately, what should some executive, who is almost certainly based in the US, have done? Allow the low-level employees in Russia to get thrown in prison or worse?
Sure, it'd be nice to do the Right Thing. But, It's one thing to take a stand and get yourself arrested, and it's another thing entirely to take a stand and get someone else arrested on your behalf while you're still free and living large halfway across the world.
Some of the internal complaining was from people who thought we should have taken a stand. I think that's naive. But, some people are saying we should get out of Russia entirely because it's not possible for us to take a stand in situations like this and our employees may be at risk just by our presence there. That's more reasonable.
I'm posting anonymously because I work at Google. I don't speak for the company and I don't know if the claims about imprisonment are true.
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Some of the internal complaining was from people who thought we should have taken a stand. I think that's naive.
Every company is required to follow the rules/regulations in the country that it operates in. And while some one may prefer (due to various opinions and/or biases) the rules/regulations of the US over Russia, there are certainly US regulations that force Google (or Apple, or ....) to do things some one might consider less savory too.
But, some people are saying we should get out of Russia entirely because it's not possible for us to take a stand in situations like this and our employees may be at risk just by our presence there. That's more reasonable.
The arguments of whether it is long term more productive to engage with dictators and authoritarian regimes, or just shun them entirely, has a long history in state diplomacy l
Lie down with dogs get up with fleas. (Score:2)
n/t
So what? (Score:1)
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Who on Earth cares what "Googlers" think?
Googlers do!
However, more to the point, a happy employee is far more likely to be an employee focused on producing value for the organization, and not sitting in the lunch area talking about how they hate their employers activities, which means, to some extent, the employer cares too.
As is often the case, there are more nuisances in the various choices that the simplification of "Should we stay and comply, stay and resist, or should we go" miss, but talking the issues out is likely a good thing, even if t
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