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Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

bbc.com

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Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#91

Post by quaintdev »

nirui wrote: post #87
benjaminjosephw wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Relying on giants to defend the interests of the rest of us mere humans sounds dangerous.

But if you look around across all the industries, it is not very hard to realize that most big names that you can easily recognize were created by few giants. Giants is the norm. A real hero knows when to resist the fear and borrow the power from the giants.

True. Google at least does not create walled gardens like FB. You are not even allowed to post link in comment section. That's a tactic to keep users on its own platform. Recently they have stopped allowing people to browse even browse public profiles.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#92

Post by benjaminjosephw »

nirui wrote: post #87
benjaminjosephw wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Relying on giants to defend the interests of the rest of us mere humans sounds dangerous.

But if you look around across all the industries, it is not very hard to realize that most big names that you can easily recognize were created by few giants. Giants is the norm. A real hero knows when to resist the fear and borrow the power from the giants.

Giants are more visible, I won't dispute that but I'm not sure I agree with a strategy of surrendering to them because of that fact.

I don't think we need a real hero here, we need end-user solidarity perhaps in the form of public policy and market regulation. Humans would have more freedom on the internet if corporate giants didn't.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#93

Post by dmitriid »

ithkuil wrote: post #89
dmitriid wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've yet to see a single kick ass web app from Google. All of them are barely functioning slow-as-molasses slugs (or I'm jaded by the entire GCP experience).

I recently tried https://deps.dev and was surprised by the speed. But then I realized I was no longer used to things being that fast, and it used to be normal EDIT: typo

> But the I realized I was no longer used to things being that fast, and it used to be normal

This. This right here.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#95

Post by sgift »

Clewza313 wrote: post #29

> Third, a lot of Pichai's big bets have failed: Google Glass, Google Plus, Google Wave, Project Loon Every single one of these predates Pichai, who only became CEO in 2015: * Google Wave was already turned down in 2012 * Google Plus launched in 2011 and the writing was on the wall by 2015 * Google Glass consumer edition was discontinued in Jan 2015 before Pichai started * Loon is the only arguable exception; it was…

And isn't Google Glass redirected at companies were it enjoys (a moderate) success?

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#97

Post by Cipater »

Barrin92 wrote: post #59
erdo wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except of course Google is not a search engine company, Google is an advertising company

To this day I have no idea what that statement is supposed to express despite seeing it about a dozen times per week. Google makes money selling ads yes, but their core product is search. Like a newspaper, which does journalism, and also has an ad department, or a TV show, with ad breaks, or a sports broadcast. Do people think Google makes their search worse to... sell fewer ads?

No, they make their search worse to sell more ads. Just like they make YouTube worse to sell more ads.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#98

Post by zimpenfish »

retox wrote: post #36
Clewza313 wrote: post #29

> Third, a lot of Pichai's big bets have failed: Google Glass, Google Plus, Google Wave, Project Loon Every single one of these predates Pichai, who only became CEO in 2015: * Google Wave was already turned down in 2012 * Google Plus launched in 2011 and the writing was on the wall by 2015 * Google Glass consumer edition was discontinued in Jan 2015 before Pichai started * Loon is the only arguable exception; it was…

Now you've seen how a "journalist" doesn't have the patience to spend 60 seconds searching for something you're knowledgeable about, will you (not you specifically) take as gospel anything they say about something you're not knowledgeable about? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Crichton#GellMannAmnes...

I have to say, I find this bit amusing:

"That is the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect. I'd point out it does not operate in other arenas of life. In ordinary life, if somebody consistently exaggerates or lies to you, you soon discount everything they say."

The last 4 years of US politics (and 20? of UK politics) have given the lie to that belief.

[edit: added UK politics because they're just as bad]

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#100

Post by cblconfederate »

as far as state actors are concerned, it's state propaganda that 's the greatest threat and big tech is actually facilitating this because it's structurally convenient for autocrats. For the rest, google is a company that can actually do things about the free internet, so actions are better than words here
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