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Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

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Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#61

Post by harryf »

cookiecaper wrote: post #55

I posted this elsewhere, but I think it got buried. IMO it is worth reposting here: Assuming this spreads, I believe a potential ramification of major sites blacking out would be new laws that would attempt to make such black outs illegal. It could be seen as equivalent to strikes in essential service industries like transportation. Such strikes are semi-regulated and governments can and have ordered strikers back on…

Agree - a blackout will essentially kill any negotiation and change the topic to one purely about power and authority, which defeats the purpose. Selectively demonstrating the potential impact of SOPA by censoring some of its supporters might work but in the end this is about negotiation not "going nuclear"

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#62

Post by billybob »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #54
kevinh wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it exceedingly hard to believe that Google would be brought down as a repercussion of Google. It's very unlikely that any widespread, powerful websites (like Google or Facebook) would be taken down, because removing them from the ecosystem would prompt an enormous user reaction. Say what you will about the intelligence of those involved with SOPA, they know about how much they can rock the boat.

> as a repercussion of Google. I think you meant SOPA. > It's very unlikely that any widespread, powerful websites (like Google or Facebook) would be taken down, because removing them from the ecosystem would prompt an enormous user reaction. Probably not. I haven't read SOPA in detail, so I don't know what the procedure is - who gets to decide whether to shut the site down or not? What if the clerk working that part…

Facebook won't get shut down because it's too big, well-known, and rich.

It's all the would-be competitors who will get shut down, because who cares about some no-name "pirate" site? Suddenly, we'll stop seeing new sites that allow user content and the big players will be effectively entrenched by law.

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#63

Post by ryandvm »

Going dark for a day is a pretty scary proposition for a company whose continued success is largely based on habitual usage.

As a practical matter, Google search is not really that much better than Bing. Making 600 million people use your competitor's equally capable product for a day would be pure insanity. Especially for such speculative gain.

I can't believe people think Google is dumb enough to try a blackout.

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#65

Post by jrgifford »

ryandvm wrote: post #63

Going dark for a day is a pretty scary proposition for a company whose continued success is largely based on habitual usage. As a practical matter, Google search is not really that much better than Bing. Making 600 million people use your competitor's equally capable product for a day would be pure insanity. Especially for such speculative gain. I can't believe people think Google is dumb enough to try a blackout.

Look at it this way. Either they do a blackout and (probably) save their entire company, or don't and lose everything.

While I'm not a businessman, I'd rather take the chance of making everyone use Bing/DuckDuckGo/Yahoo/Whatever for a day rather than risk losing my entire companies main product(s).

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#66

Post by ericb »

daeken wrote: post #56
mike-cardwell wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whilst you may not like his examples, you do understand the point he's making right?

The point he's making, largely, is that Google going out is a bad thing because people use internet searches as a replacement for common sense. That's not Google's fault.

Using google to fill in gaps in your knowledge is not "replacing common sense"--doing so is USING common sense. Lets remove the straw man who visits the hospital and calls 911 for all possible emergencies from the argument. Learning that a numb right arm is a heart attack symptom changes the picture, and for better or worse, google is the main spicket for knowledge these days.

Fault is irrelevant once the dependence is there. If you're at google, flipping a switch, just like our dependence on power, could cost lives, and if you care about human life, you have to think about it before you do it regardless of whether would say it is your "fault."

I am about as anti-sopa as they come, so I'd personally like to see a gigantic message, and see them name names and explain what services won't exist if this passes.

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#67

Post by burgerbrain »

ericb wrote: post #66
daeken wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point he's making, largely, is that Google going out is a bad thing because people use internet searches as a replacement for common sense. That's not Google's fault.

Using google to fill in gaps in your knowledge is not "replacing common sense"--doing so is USING common sense. Lets remove the straw man who visits the hospital and calls 911 for all possible emergencies from the argument. Learning that a numb right arm is a heart attack symptom changes the picture, and for better or worse, google is the main spicket for knowledge these days. Fault is irrelevant once the dependence…

Googling "Where to call in a gas leak" is almost certainly not common sense.

Similarly, the time spent looking up how to do CPR would be better spent calling emergency services so that they head out as soon as possible. Emergency dispatchers can talk you through CPR while you wait for them to arrive.

You see, the thing about CPR is that it's not really meant to revive somebody. It's meant to keep oxygen in their brain until something can actually be done. Delaying the call for help so that you can learn all of this on Google is the worst thing that you could do.

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#68

Post by zalew »

jonnathanson wrote: post #22

Google might be well served by some sort of partial blackout on its home page, but Facebook would need to get more creative -- and, dare I say it, more social. A blackout of any kind on Facebook would create a minor to major annoyance for an audience that we can presume is largely ignorant to apathetic about SOPA. If, instead, Facebook released profile widget of some sort -- say, a standardized black box as one's def…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacktivism

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#69

Post by ericb »

burgerbrain wrote: post #67
ericb wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using google to fill in gaps in your knowledge is not "replacing common sense"--doing so is USING common sense. Lets remove the straw man who visits the hospital and calls 911 for all possible emergencies from the argument. Learning that a numb right arm is a heart attack symptom changes the picture, and for better or worse, google is the main spicket for knowledge these days. Fault is irrelevant once the dependence…

Googling "Where to call in a gas leak" is almost certainly not common sense. Similarly, the time spent looking up how to do CPR would be better spent calling emergency services so that they head out as soon as possible. Emergency dispatchers can talk you through CPR while you wait for them to arrive. You see, the thing about CPR is that it's not really meant to revive somebody. It's meant to keep oxygen in their brai…

I have googled NSTAR's gas leak hotline from my phone, while walking down Beacon street and reported a strong gas smell near an apartment building. You think I should have called a different number first?

Re: Why Google And Facebook Need To Go Dark To Protest SOPA

#70

Post by burgerbrain »

ericb wrote: post #69
burgerbrain wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Googling "Where to call in a gas leak" is almost certainly not common sense. Similarly, the time spent looking up how to do CPR would be better spent calling emergency services so that they head out as soon as possible. Emergency dispatchers can talk you through CPR while you wait for them to arrive. You see, the thing about CPR is that it's not really meant to revive somebody. It's meant to keep oxygen in their brai…

I have googled NSTAR's gas leak hotline from my phone, while walking down Beacon street and reported a strong gas smell near an apartment building. You think I should have called a different number first?

Just call 911. I assume you do not actually have the training to fully assess the situation, so let the professionals do it. For all you know there are people that need medical attention in that sort of situation.
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