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After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

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Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#181

Post by hnzix »

Dibes wrote: post #164
georgebarnett wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What evidence do you have for this baseless accusation? Apple have been hammering Google on privacy for many years and they have an incredible track record on privacy when they’ve had their feet held to the fire with the FBI.

To play devil's advocate, I can see a world in which Apple as a publicly traded company is hard pressed into returning stronger results for its investors and turns to data as a way to expand. Not saying it will happen as there is no indicator that they need or want to. However, it is important to note that it isn't outside the realm of possibility at all.

Apple are pushing privacy as a key differentiator and also to justify their premium price tag. Selling out on privacy would torpedo that USP. Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.

Yes in a world of infinite possibilities anything can happen, but realistically Apple is incentivized to maintain their privacy position.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#182

Post by pacomerh »

justinzollars wrote: post #35

Concerned that google has so much info ( https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity ) I visited https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols to turn off Web & App Activity, but left Voice & Audio Activity on. This breaks my google home. I do not want Google to save 20 years of search history so I can use a stupid google home. For the first time I'm considering Apple's device. This is a dark pattern Google

Apple's device relies on Siri, which is very much behind in the smart cylinder race, or maybe you're interested on its audio quality capabilities, for that it sure excels.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#183

Post by deepbreath »

Dibes wrote: post #164
georgebarnett wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What evidence do you have for this baseless accusation? Apple have been hammering Google on privacy for many years and they have an incredible track record on privacy when they’ve had their feet held to the fire with the FBI.

To play devil's advocate, I can see a world in which Apple as a publicly traded company is hard pressed into returning stronger results for its investors and turns to data as a way to expand. Not saying it will happen as there is no indicator that they need or want to. However, it is important to note that it isn't outside the realm of possibility at all.

It's happened before, with Microsoft, too. They've transitioned from an OS where you pay with cash (win7), to a spyware OS where you pay with cash and your data (win10).

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#184

Post by oflannabhra »

mncharity wrote: post #175
oflannabhra wrote: post #24

The spark that triggered the current firestorm Facebook is facing has nothing to do with Facebook’s practices—those have been apparent and obvious since before Facebook is as even a company. The spark was the confluence of divisive political headwinds and an outrage-driven news cycle. I’m thankful that spark has resulted in sustained scrutiny of Facebook, but without a similar environment and controversy, I doubt Goo…

> confluence of divisive political headwinds and an outrage-driven news > I doubt Google will find itself in a hot seat You're suggesting Hollywood will abandon a decade-plus long effort to beat down the influence of big tech, and increase regulation of the Internet, now, when it's going so well?[1] Or that some integrity of governance, quality of public policy, or competence of journalism, will hold them in check? >…

Well, no, that’s not what I’m suggesting at all.

It sounds like you set up a straw man to be able to assert your own narrative for “Why Google is next.”

It’s all well and fine to offer up an alternative explanation or additional information, but you don’t have to do it by putting words into people’s mouths.

As for the content of your message, I fail to see how Facebook’s current scrutiny is connected to Hollywood in any way whatsoever.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#185

Post by SmirkingRevenge »

georgebarnett wrote: post #160
Bombthecat wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure that one day Apple will also use / sell your data. Why? Because it makes them even more money...

What evidence do you have for this baseless accusation? Apple have been hammering Google on privacy for many years and they have an incredible track record on privacy when they’ve had their feet held to the fire with the FBI.

I'd say its more a question of incentives. Taking strong stands on privacy are convenient today, when they are a juggernaut of lifestyle computing hardware, but if a strong future competitor is eating into Apple's growth... they will monetize what they can - and they have a lot of data on their users - probably approaching google in scope, in many areas.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#186

Post by oflannabhra »

GauntletWizard wrote: post #57
oflannabhra wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ll add a thought: The great irony in Facebook’s situation is that it is purely the result of hubris. In 2010, Zuckerberg saw FB as the next great platform. The API was released to much acclaim. But the API essentially gave away the keys to the kingdom! Facebook either 1) didn’t realize that they weren’t a platform and the social graph was the most valuable information they possessed, and were blinded by ignorance,…

In 2010, Facebook's revenue was significantly driven by something other than ads - Social Games. Zynga and the like were raking in billions based on people clicking virtual cows, and Facebook was getting a cut. Promoting these kinds of uses was their goal. It's easy to see modern Ad-Driven FB and forget that there were other eras of the company.

Yes, hindsight is 20/20. However, Google was smart enough to see the endgame: knowing people’s interests is some of the most valuable information available to advertisers, ever.

What Facebook has, and what they essentially gave away for free, is far more valuable than whatever revenue they generated as a “platform.”

The fact FB was generating revenue as a platform in 2010 has more to do with their strategy (which was lacking at the time) than with the value of the information they had.

I’m suggesting they Zuckerberg’s hubris prevented him from seeing the value of what FB already was, and how to monetize that.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#187

Post by drawkbox »

Yes, because ISPs are pushing this and they now have all their net neutrality abolishment and private protection removals in place, all that money can now go to all out assaults on Facebook, Google and any other competitors in the ad space.

Part of ISPs justification for removing privacy protections via bribes was to allow them to compete with Facebook/Google.

As seen with removing ISP privacy protections from the FCC to help them get net neutrality removed, ISPs don't give up when it comes to using their local monopolies and bribing their way into markets rather than competing with products built on it that people want like Facebook/Google.

Right now ISP money isn't being spent on innovation or expansion of their network capabilities, it is being spent to combat competition in areas they want to move into such as the ad network/tracking space, network throttling/data caps and more.

ISPs also want to be the implementers of the internet filters that will be arriving soon to be broad censorship and stifle competition [1]. They are also big on helping the surveillance state and will get shared data to use in their ad networks [2].

The ISPs are helping build the network that will be more like hotel wifi than the internet we know and love today. If the ISPs do one thing well it is stifling competition to create near monopolies because they don't like to compete building actual quality or products to compete next to market leaders, they bribe and use their local monopolies to get in.

[1] https://www.wired.com/2017/04/internet-censorship-is-advanci...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#188

Post by larkeith »

modeless wrote: post #180
larkeith wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does paying for these products disable tracking and provide strong privacy controls?

For G Suite, "Google does not sell your data to third parties, there is no advertising in G Suite, and we never collect or use data from G Suite services for any advertising purposes." Also "G Suite's compliance with ISO/IEC 27018:2014 affirms our commitment to international privacy and data protection standards. ISO 27018 guidelines include not using your data for advertising, ensuring that your data in G Suite serv…

Oh, huh. I might have to look into paying for that then.

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#189

Post by sundvor »

rapnie wrote: post #122
justinzollars wrote: post #35

Concerned that google has so much info ( https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity ) I visited https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols to turn off Web & App Activity, but left Voice & Audio Activity on. This breaks my google home. I do not want Google to save 20 years of search history so I can use a stupid google home. For the first time I'm considering Apple's device. This is a dark pattern Google

There are all kinds of such dark patterns. If you switch from Chrome to Firefox on Android you find all kinds of features missing, like in image search. It's some time ago I checked, but I want to do a comparison and report to some naming & shaming site. Anyone knows a good one?

Write a blog post and share it here?

Re: After Facebook scrutiny, is Google next?

#190

Post by remir »

I think what Eelo is trying to achieve is interesting. They forked LineageOS, but they understood that nowadays a smartphone is not that smart without services (email, map, contact/cal sync, etc), so they plan to develop their own services that respect privacy.

Now, will these services be on par with Google's? Of course not, but if they're good enough, it could be a game changer.

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