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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

#141

Post by sulam »

onion2k wrote: post #103
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…

Pinchai joined Google in 2004, and was "Product Chief" prior to becoming CEO. He's been responsible for a lot of Google products.

Google doesn’t have a Product Chief responsible for all the products. It’s not organized that way.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#142

Post by Dah00n »

zimpenfish wrote: post #98
retox wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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]

Are you saying most people would answer Yes to "Are politicians trustworthy?" because then I clearly live in a completely different bubble than you do and have a very different interpretation of TV speaking heads talking about the issue. In my bubble at least 90% would say that US politicians are not trustworthy (no idea about UK). Not much different if you ask about Trump or Biden either.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#143

Post by Dah00n »

dkdk8283 wrote: post #104
snowwrestler wrote: post #78

Does anyone think that Google cares about the free and open Internet anymore? I don’t mean they oppose it, I just mean it doesn’t seem like it’s on the list of things the company prioritizes. It sometimes seems like Google’s internal self-image is stuck in 2001, when they were an idealistic search engine company whose goal was to organize the world’s information. Today they are an ad company, running some office apps…

Join G and masquerade as a zealot and you will soon be invited to off-campus chat networks where employees strategize how to cancel the next “asshole” on their radar. It’s sickening and they should all go to jail for it.

How is this different than outside Google? Unless they misuse access to information from Google it sounds like ordinary life in the US.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#144

Post by dmitriid »

cromwellian wrote: post #128
imwillofficial wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It properly calls attention to what google’s primary purpose is. Its not search. A newspaper’s primary purpose is to inform the public, and make money while doing so. Googles primary purpose is not search, and to make money while doing so. Googles primary purpose is collect and sell data, and make money while doing so.

Google doesn’t sell data, and Google’s primary purpose is Search and organizing information, ads is just the way it’s funded. If the primary purpose was ada, then it would stop all of the wasteful spending on engineering projects with no relation to, and no hope of, making ad money.

When those projects are found to not lock users and customers in Google ecosystem and/or not to bring ad revenue, those are axed with no remorse.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#146

Post by adolph »

ignoramous wrote: post #50
Sophistifunk wrote: post #2

From where I sit the #1 risk to the free and open internet these days is Google. Edit: two reasons: 1) Because adtech is destroying society. Surveillance is never good. Ads as funding smears absolutely everything with perverse incentives that act consistently against both the explicit wishes and implicit best-interests of the viewers, and (it seems moreso every year) society at large. 2) Google is doing everything it…

To be fair, Pichai's quote is taken out of context. In his capacity as Alphabet CEO, he worries about neutrality of the interconnects. TFA goes: > And, when I asked about whether the Chinese model of the internet - much more authoritarian, big on surveillance - is in the ascendant, Pichai said the free and open internet "is being attacked". Importantly, he didn't refer to China directly but he went on to say: "None o…

Toxic language online silences important voices. We’re exploring how machine learning can reduce toxicity online and create more space for healthy conversation.

Throughout this report we use the term “toxicity,” defined as rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable language that is likely to make someone leave a discussion. We specifically use the term toxicity, as opposed to words like “abuse” or “hate speech” for both practical and scientific reasons.

https://jigsaw.google.com/the-current/toxicity/

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#147

Post by adolph »

cromwellian wrote: post #129
oldgregg wrote: post #84

Google will attack and subvert every nationalist politician around the world because they are existentially dependent on globalism and weak national borders. Anyone who is a nationalist is racist and hates freedom according to Google. Nevermind self-determination. China is their worse nightmare because they are not dumb enough to let profiteers monitor and manipulate their citizens. Other countries are waking up to t…

Nationalism is followed by fascism quite easily, it o accident that many consider excessive nationalism to just be a kind of secular religion, with an easily route to toxicity, dogma, and racism. Look no further than the fact that nationalist movements have right wing ethno-state ambitions attached to them everywhere, usually with a return to “Greater X” where X is an older empire they use to have, usually when their…

Are the Olympics part of a fascist propaganda machine?

> Nationalism is followed by fascism quite easily

It seems just as easily followed by other forms of totalitarianism as exemplified by the USSR, China, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Venezuela.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#149

Post by dekhn »

Clewza313 wrote: post #130
allyourhorses wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> However, it was also an experiment from day 1, not "the next big thing" Not sure I understand that distinction. If I label all my projects as experiments, do I also get to escape culpability for their failure while loading on the self-praise when they succeed?

Kinda? All of Alphabet's Bets including Loon are explicitly high-risk, high-reward "moonshots", meaning it's expected for many if not most to fail. By contrast, Wave, Plus and Glass were all consumer products from the mothership that were heavily hyped as being the Next Big Thing that would revolutionize work/IM, social networks and mobile phones respectively.

loon was neither high risk or high reward. it was just an internet balloon.

Re: Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom

#150

Post by BobbyJo »

Dah00n wrote: post #142
zimpenfish wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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]

Are you saying most people would answer Yes to "Are politicians trustworthy?" because then I clearly live in a completely different bubble than you do and have a very different interpretation of TV speaking heads talking about the issue. In my bubble at least 90% would say that US politicians are not trustworthy (no idea about UK). Not much different if you ask about Trump or Biden either.

I kind of see it both ways. 90% of people would call all politicians liars, but every person in that 90% has their pet politician that can do no wrong.
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