Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content” • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#681

Post by tyingq » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 2:56 AM UTC

soheil wrote: post #659

tyingq wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this is really bizarre. I get this kind of policy for some kinds of platforms, but not Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Forms. Those are my documents, and I should be free to put whatever I want in them. What if I just like to collect and share old conspiracy theory stuff that I know is wrong? For whimsy, historical, whatever purposes...

This policy does not apply to private files. I just want to point out based on your comment that none of what you mentioned matters unless you share the document publicly.

"What if I just like to collect and share old conspiracy theory stuff"

The key word there is "share". Lots of people use the "share with anyone that has the link" for limited sharing.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#682

Post by inlikealamb » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 2:59 AM UTC

hash872 wrote: post #230

semitones wrote: post #39

The road to hell is paved with "good intentions". We desperately need to find a globally adoptable alternative to google and the services that it provides. Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc. are fantastic services in that they work really well on a massive scale. However, Google's increasing role as an arbiter of right vs wrong and a steward of information puts too much power into the hands of one corporation, whose best inte…

The issue is that we know from experience, after 20+ years of the modern Internet, that if you make a 'free speech' drive/repository place that's widely available, it will host the absolute worst of the human race. Then, let's say you personally were in charge of said Free Speech Drive- every day you'd get up and hear about people using it for (legal) jailbait photos, Islamic State recruiting, collaboration between e…

If you want to know what a "free speech zone" is on the internet go spend time on 4chan. I can't imagine anyone spending long periods of time there without harming their mental health... and that's even with some moderation.

I'm convinced the only way to effectively create free speech on the internet is to tie whatever you say online with personal identification. Not because it will prevent people from saying bad things, but because you could use it to ban people from the internet. (for the record, I think that's a horrible idea... but so is free speech on privately owned servers)

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#683

Post by randomperson_24 » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:13 AM UTC

semitones wrote: post #39

The road to hell is paved with "good intentions". We desperately need to find a globally adoptable alternative to google and the services that it provides. Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc. are fantastic services in that they work really well on a massive scale. However, Google's increasing role as an arbiter of right vs wrong and a steward of information puts too much power into the hands of one corporation, whose best inte…

We need and will (and also do) have other alternatives. But as soon as it grows big enough to get public attention, censorship will come. Cause majority wants that.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#684

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:21 AM UTC

izacus wrote: post #180

semitones wrote: post #39

The road to hell is paved with "good intentions". We desperately need to find a globally adoptable alternative to google and the services that it provides. Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc. are fantastic services in that they work really well on a massive scale. However, Google's increasing role as an arbiter of right vs wrong and a steward of information puts too much power into the hands of one corporation, whose best inte…

I think your fundamental error is in the fact that you think that a private company (and market competition) can fix these issues. It seems that many people on HN are just waiting for the new Savior company, that will magically have incentives to fight for them instead of making money. It's like hoping for market competition create health regulation in the food industry. Turns out, not even Apple is that messiah, and…

[deleted]

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#685

Post by logicchains » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:28 AM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #525

contravariant wrote: post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's something fundamentally flawed about the idea that censorship in the name of preventing misinformation is protecting the foundation of democracy. You cannot have true democracy if people cannot disagree with their governments, they must be able to disagree with any truth or opinion such a government might consider self-evident, just on the off chance they're right. I should at this point note that Google does…

> There's something fundamentally flawed There isn't really. You're adopting, I assume, J.S. Mill's view, that the cure for bad speech is more speech, which he famously published in 1859. However, since then it's been widely accepted that when speech reaches a certain level of harm then the greater good is to prevent/punish it. You can't incite violence under the guise of free speech. You can't advertise that somethi…

>However, since then it's been widely accepted

It's not widely accepted at all, except maybe in the small circle of Silicon Valley elites whose ideas align with yours politically.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#686

Post by downandout » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:29 AM UTC

We need distributed, uncensorable social media - full stop. And we need it now. We already have the White House admitting that they are telling Facebook which posts they should delete. We now have Google deciding what is and isn't misleading content.

This kind of behavior has historically had disastrous results. See World War II.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#687

Post by _greim_ » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:39 AM UTC

izacus wrote: post #180

semitones wrote: post #39

The road to hell is paved with "good intentions". We desperately need to find a globally adoptable alternative to google and the services that it provides. Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc. are fantastic services in that they work really well on a massive scale. However, Google's increasing role as an arbiter of right vs wrong and a steward of information puts too much power into the hands of one corporation, whose best inte…

I think your fundamental error is in the fact that you think that a private company (and market competition) can fix these issues. It seems that many people on HN are just waiting for the new Savior company, that will magically have incentives to fight for them instead of making money. It's like hoping for market competition create health regulation in the food industry. Turns out, not even Apple is that messiah, and…

> What happened to having specialized agencies regulate and inspect industries?

Government agencies tend get packed with appointees whose political interests undermine the agency's original charter.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#688

Post by PixyMisa » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:50 AM UTC

izacus wrote: post #180

semitones wrote: post #39

The road to hell is paved with "good intentions". We desperately need to find a globally adoptable alternative to google and the services that it provides. Docs, Sheets, Drive, etc. are fantastic services in that they work really well on a massive scale. However, Google's increasing role as an arbiter of right vs wrong and a steward of information puts too much power into the hands of one corporation, whose best inte…

I think your fundamental error is in the fact that you think that a private company (and market competition) can fix these issues. It seems that many people on HN are just waiting for the new Savior company, that will magically have incentives to fight for them instead of making money. It's like hoping for market competition create health regulation in the food industry. Turns out, not even Apple is that messiah, and…

What happens is the government makes things worse.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#689

Post by soheil » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:51 AM UTC

tyingq wrote: post #681

soheil wrote: post #659

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This policy does not apply to private files. I just want to point out based on your comment that none of what you mentioned matters unless you share the document publicly.

"What if I just like to collect and share old conspiracy theory stuff" The key word there is "share". Lots of people use the "share with anyone that has the link" for limited sharing.

Looks like Google wants you to enter someone's email explicitly to share something with if you don't want this policy to kick in. I suppose even in theory there isn't a way to know the intent behind whether something is meant to be shared with just a few people or publicly if "share with anyone that has the link" option is used.

Re: Google Drive bans distribution of “misleading content”

#690

Post by anonytrary » Sat, Jul 17, 2021, 3:55 AM UTC

Oh man this is extremely bad news. The highway should not get to decide which color cars are allowed through. Google et al, are only going to make the internet's underground railroad larger. Users aren't supposed to be slaves to the preferences of the companies that provide the products.