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A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

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Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#521

Post by a-nikolaev »

nullc wrote: post #515
a-nikolaev wrote: post #504

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is famous for this type of attrition damage tactic. Read this: https://twitter.com/johnath/status/1116871231792455686 It goes like this: Google bans or disables something, then they pretend they made a mistake, but still delay fixing it for days or weeks while giving amateurish explanations for these delays. In the end what this tactic achieves, is hampering a software Google disapproves (or competes against).…

This sort of evil behavior doesn't require intent or actual malice to form. All it requires is that panic efforts to fix things be primarily allocated to problems that hurt google and not primarily allocated to things that hurt google's opponents. Or for infrastructure that has a history of hurting google to get disabled while infrastructure that has a history of hurting others gets ignored in favor of spending more…

I see your argument, and while it is plausible, it is muddying the waters. The twitter thread I linked above is from a former Firefox vice president, not from some random person on the Internet. People at Mozilla also thought that Google is playing fair game. When they realized there was a malicious intent, it was too late.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#522

Post by anoncake »

mjevans wrote: post #404
echelon wrote: post #379

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google must be forced to divest of its search business, Android business, ad business, browser business, office software, and web properties into wholly separate corporate entities. The same should happen to Apple. Both companies are anti-consumer monopolies.

How would this actually improve competition? I agree there is a problem, but in my view and opinion the solution is enforcing a regulated market that protects consumers and allows for new competition to enter even lacking scale.

It would reduce conflicts of interest. For example, The Chrome Company would optimize for user experience rather than advertising profits.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#523

Post by Nextgrid »

fanf2 wrote: post #278
torben-friis wrote: post #18

I wonder if it's been on purpose or just, as always, their automatic algorithms being imposible to contest when they're wrong. Honestly, Google's (and general tech giants') willingness to let people's lives be caught in the cracks of their algorithms in their pursue for scalability scares me more than any ideology they could push. More and more, we're seeing developers and content creators being banned or demonetised…

Article 22 of the GDPR provides protection to individuals against purely automated decision making https://gdpr-info.eu/art-22-gdpr/

It's not like Google really cares about the GDPR though. Pretty much none of their stuff complies with it.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#524

Post by torben-friis »

SomeOtherThrow wrote: post #164
torben-friis wrote: post #18

I wonder if it's been on purpose or just, as always, their automatic algorithms being imposible to contest when they're wrong. Honestly, Google's (and general tech giants') willingness to let people's lives be caught in the cracks of their algorithms in their pursue for scalability scares me more than any ideology they could push. More and more, we're seeing developers and content creators being banned or demonetised…

Or we could just prosecute App Store monopolies. Nobody should ever have to go through google, or apple, or Microsoft, or Facebook, or amazon to publish software. The point of software is to be portable. I’m sick of buying artificially crippled crap.

There are several problematic patterns at play here, and not all of them are store monopolies: App stores are a clear cut issue since they're a clear walled garden, but soft monopolies are even worse in my opinion. By soft monopolies I refer to those services whose utility is intrinsically tied to the number of users: youtube, social networks, messaging apps...

I'm pretty sure I can build a tinder clone with cool extra features pretty easily - barring maybe the infrastructure to support a giant number of users and the legal issues of operating internationally. But such an app would be completely useless, since the point of the app is that their userbase can easily be half the dating pool of your city. The same idea is true for many internet businesses - once established they're almost untouchable. they can't be challenged unless they screw up royally or someone's able to launch a giant enough marketing campaing that can bootstrap a large userbase in a matter of days.

Join to that the tendency towards monolithic ecosystems (google, apple, to a lesser extent microsoft, huawei...) and the result is pretty scary.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#525

Post by torben-friis »

fanf2 wrote: post #278
torben-friis wrote: post #18

I wonder if it's been on purpose or just, as always, their automatic algorithms being imposible to contest when they're wrong. Honestly, Google's (and general tech giants') willingness to let people's lives be caught in the cracks of their algorithms in their pursue for scalability scares me more than any ideology they could push. More and more, we're seeing developers and content creators being banned or demonetised…

Article 22 of the GDPR provides protection to individuals against purely automated decision making https://gdpr-info.eu/art-22-gdpr/

I'm European, and pretty happy that the GDPR exists, but even I can't deny that a law is just as strong as the ruler's capacity to enforce it, and I'm a bit sceptical about the EU's ability to effectively govern the whole internet.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#526

Post by driverdan »

dev_dull wrote: post #165
jokoon wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what was painful?

Google hangouts video uses about 50% of CPU. For many people hangouts is part of everyday work life.

Hangouts / Meet is terrible in all browsers but you're right, it's less terrible in Chromium. I keep Brave installed just for Meet.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#527

Post by blowski »

a-nikolaev wrote: post #504
torben-friis wrote: post #18

I wonder if it's been on purpose or just, as always, their automatic algorithms being imposible to contest when they're wrong. Honestly, Google's (and general tech giants') willingness to let people's lives be caught in the cracks of their algorithms in their pursue for scalability scares me more than any ideology they could push. More and more, we're seeing developers and content creators being banned or demonetised…

Google is famous for this type of attrition damage tactic. Read this: https://twitter.com/johnath/status/1116871231792455686 It goes like this: Google bans or disables something, then they pretend they made a mistake, but still delay fixing it for days or weeks while giving amateurish explanations for these delays. In the end what this tactic achieves, is hampering a software Google disapproves (or competes against).…

Hopefully in this case, they will switch to Firefox.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#528

Post by BuckRogers »

gpm wrote: post #510
po1nter wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The MS Edge one is offered by "Nik Rolls" and not "Raymond Hill (gorhill)" like the one on the Chrome Web Store and Mozilla AMO. I'm guessing they're not the same person so why should I trust this extension instead?

I tracked this down earlier today while I was considering what I would tell people to switch to, looks like - The official ublock repo links to it, so it's reasonably trustworthy, but it's explicitly not controlled by Gorhil. The author has what appears to be an open offer to give control of it to him. - It's out of date. - There is no real plan to make it up-to-date until edge finishes moving to being a chromium for…

It's not out of date, source on that claim? It's 1.22.4 just as it is in the Chrome store. https://i.imgur.com/c2voeqg.png

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#529

Post by HenryBemis »

blowski wrote: post #527
a-nikolaev wrote: post #504

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is famous for this type of attrition damage tactic. Read this: https://twitter.com/johnath/status/1116871231792455686 It goes like this: Google bans or disables something, then they pretend they made a mistake, but still delay fixing it for days or weeks while giving amateurish explanations for these delays. In the end what this tactic achieves, is hampering a software Google disapproves (or competes against).…

Hopefully in this case, they will switch to Firefox.

As a precaution to such tactics like, I have (long time ago) switched for Firefox Portable, which updates properly, and also backup up its folder and keep a backup of all add-ons .xpi files, (winrar for Windows has a nifty naming mechanism that you can add YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS on the backup name), so if there is an update I don't like, or if after an update I am left with half my add-ons being disabled due to incompatibility, I roll back and stay there for a couple more months till either my add-ons work, or I find and alternative.

Mozilla is far more honest than Google, but better safe than sorry.

Re: A uBlock Origin update was rejected from the Chrome Web Store

#530

Post by patagonia »

torben-friis wrote: post #18

I wonder if it's been on purpose or just, as always, their automatic algorithms being imposible to contest when they're wrong. Honestly, Google's (and general tech giants') willingness to let people's lives be caught in the cracks of their algorithms in their pursue for scalability scares me more than any ideology they could push. More and more, we're seeing developers and content creators being banned or demonetised…

This approach to algorithmic services is an ideology.
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