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Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

gizmodo.com

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Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#121

Post by bb88 »

squarefoot wrote: post #120
bb88 wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It seems to me the "Military is Bad" idea goes back to 60's and is more about "the status quo U.S. foreign interference system is bad" than the myopic "the Military is Bad in principle" you seem to suggest. You may be right, but that's an issue with the white house administration and those telling the military what to do, not with the military itself. It has always seemed to me that if you never liked what the mili…

"That was a good approach 30 years ago, when we were fighting nation states. Now we're fighting large terrorist organizations that exist without a geographical border -- the types of people that would never sign a treaty." True, but this doesn't require AI drones. To me that is just well crafted propaganda to make people (voters) accept further military expenses. Name one terrorist attack anywhere in the world in the…

> True, but this doesn't require AI drones.

You're right. They require bombs and bullets. Both have a far higher chance of collateral damage than using drones. But apparently everyone has deemed them more acceptable than possible alternatives, so we use them.

> Name one terrorist attack anywhere in the world in the last 20 years, therefore including 9/11, that could have been stopped by a swarm of AI drones.

You've given me a false choice. Namely that only defending against terrorist attacks is the only legitimate purpose. Many others probably exist too.

Last time I checked urban warfare was a fairly dicey situation for military personnel. Anything that can navigate, map, and neutralize enemy hostiles in a building, means less death rates for our soldiers.

Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#122

Post by mantas »

posix_me_less wrote: post #117
mantas wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think so? China is pretty much the only one that may be a threat. North Korea is a blip on the radar at worst. Russia is fading away and fast.

> Russia is fading away and fast. How can you say that? They have more active nuclear warheads than U. S., plenty to overwhelm any current AB system. Do you count on the AB system getting better so as to eliminate MAD?

I wonder how many of their warheads are in as good condition as their airplane carrier...

Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#123

Post by murph-almighty »

xienze wrote: post #86
murph-almighty wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree with you- insurance does perform an essential function in risk management. However, this doesn't mean that individual actors in this space have always performed in the "best" way. Not to mention the nature of insurance in general is adversarial against the customer- if you pay out on too many policies you're underwater.

>Not to mention the nature of insurance in general is adversarial against the customer- if you pay out on too many policies you're underwater. Like any business, “dollars in” has to be greater than “dollars out” in the long term. This seems to be a controversial train of thought when it comes to insurance for some reason.

It's problematic when you have companies deny claims that shouldn't be denied, or otherwise trying to disincentivize using their services.

For example, from a pure dollar-in-dollar-out perspective it's in the best interest of my insurance provider for me to not visit my doctor, because it costs them money out of the payments I make them. If they create a small network of doctors who take their policy in my area, it makes it even harder for me to use their services- maybe the doctor is inordinately far from me, or constantly overbooked, or never in the office (what I'm dealing with right now). The harder you make it to access a service that your customers are paying for, the more money you make.

Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#124

Post by FuckOffNeemo »

frockington wrote: post #42
Pigo wrote: post #23

I left a good job with an insurance company, not in protest really, but just because I hated the idea of being a part of an industry I despise so much. Unfortunately my departure didn't shake the foundation of their business, but I'm no longer embarrassed to talk about who I work for.

Do insurance companies have a bad reputation in other regions? I personally love my insurance company and wouldn't be embarrassed to work there at all

During the Queensland floods in Australia a suite of insurance companies didn't pay out thousands of their customers because they deemed the flood to have been an 'inland tsunami' and not to be confused with a 'flood'. Which no joke, was in the fine print as an exception.

This is a 'flood' that caused billions worth of damage that displaced millions out of homes and covered an area that would have covered the majority of Europe under metres of 'flood' waters.

It went to court and State and Federal Governments got involved to settle the case. Not sure what happened to it.

Nothing further to add here beside to point out. Insurance companies can be fucking awfully deceptive.

Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#125

Post by a_tractor »

bb88 wrote: post #97
jahaja wrote: post #13

Very respectable decision in my book. Walking the walk, not just talking the talk. You just can't abstract yourself away from ethical decisions ad infinitum. The level of self-deception needed to convince oneself that this, or whatever US military tech for that matter, would only be used for defensive purposes is mind-boggling to me.

The history of technology and the military in the US is more complex than the myopic "Military is Bad" style of arguments that have been vogue as of late. Preventing the US military from using that technology doesn't stop China or Russia from upgrading their systems to use it.

Exactly. It is a childish and potentially suicidal point of view when you take into consideration human history and the rise and fall of nations and entire peoples with respect to technology and military power, when allowed to move beyond virtue signalling, which is all this really is.

The more important thing to attempt to control is the application of the military as a defensive or offensive force. Sabotaging the military because you disagree with an aggressive/offensive or otherwise unjust application of force is really missing the point.

Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#126

Post by wpdev_63 »

nunya213 wrote: post #112
wpdev_63 wrote: post #99

Good on them. Weaponizing mass surveillance will the most evil any company has ever done. Soon enough we are going to have drone flying done the street and stopping us to scan our face. No one will bat an eye as it's for "our protection" and nothing _more_. Make no mistake we are competing with China.

You mean what Google is already doing? You know how they make their money right?

This is surveillance, not ads targeting. There's a difference between machines creating targeted ads and illegal mass 'population' surveillance.

Re: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract

#127

Post by easytiger »

detaro wrote: post #66
easytiger wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without insurance, much of all business and life cannot be risk managed and is not viable in any way. Pretty silly POV

Parent didn't say insurance is not necessary/useful. You can think something is a good idea and be disgusted by (large parts of) the industry around it.

Entirely fair enough, but their argument was polemic and was guttural in criticism. I have reasons enough to hate particular insurance companies, I assure you. But refusing to do work for them on the universal maxim that something is wrong with them all doesn't make sense
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