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Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

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Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#111
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Firefox is owned by Google You're gonna have to explain why you think this, because publicly, Firefox is owned by Mozilla which is not owned by Google in any way. But maybe you know something the rest of us don't?

> Firefox is owned by Mozilla which is not owned by Google in any way. Who owns Mozilla? Put another way, if Google stops funding Mozilla, will it still exist? The only reason Firefox exists is because Google wants something they can point to in court and say "look! we're not a monopoly!"

The shareholders of Mozilla own Mozilla. And that's not Google. If Google stopped the search deal then Bing would take over in a second.

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#112

I hate to say it, but if you used Chrome to read this, then you're part of the problem. Awful stuff like this wouldn't stand a chance if Google didn't have such a near-monopoly position. For the sake of the open internet, please switch to a different browser. IMO, Firefox is best*, but even something chromium based is probably fine. Just not Google Chrome. * On desktop - Firefox is a bit weaker on Android, with an ex…

I use Edge. I think Edge is a realistically viable competitor, especially with Bing chat sidebar. It's also faster than Safari on MacOS

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#113
post #81

I hate to say it, but if you used Chrome to read this, then you're part of the problem. Awful stuff like this wouldn't stand a chance if Google didn't have such a near-monopoly position. For the sake of the open internet, please switch to a different browser. IMO, Firefox is best*, but even something chromium based is probably fine. Just not Google Chrome. * On desktop - Firefox is a bit weaker on Android, with an ex…

[flagged]

It's true that Mozilla gets the vast majority of their income from Google and has, IMO absolutely squandered most of it.

If Mozilla had put most of its income into an endowment fund instead of hiring tons of staff for a miriad of now-mostly-canceled projects, they'd be in a much better position today. (Hindsight is 20-20 and all that.)

But I think it's an overstatement to say that Google owns Firefox. I donate monthly, and I think a smaller form of Mozilla could survive completely without Google.

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#114
post #62
post #50

The latest, tone-deaf response from a Google engineer: https://github.com/RupertBenWiser/Web-Environment-Integrity/...

I like how he changed his GitHub profile photo to a picture of a yellow duck. I'd do the same thing if I was working for the devil and I knew it.

Is that like a reverse canary?

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#115

It isn't just "make ad-blocking (near) impossible" as the current title of the submission suggests. It is: Make browsing the internet possible only on Chrome, Safari or Edge (with no modifications or extensions). No competition allowed in browsers. Make browsing the internet possible only on macOS, Windows, Android or iOS (no custom Android distributions, definitely no LineageOS or GrapheneOS or whatever). No competi…

Make browsing the internet possible only on CPUs allowed by Apple, Microsoft, Google. So no RISC-V just yet, and even when RISC-V will be supported by them: No competition allowed in CPU.

Make browsing the internet possible only on SoCs allowed by Apple, Microsoft, Google. No competition allowed in SoC. [0]

Make browsing the internet possible only on form factors approved by Apple, Microsoft, Google. So no calculator with a web browser [1]. No competition allowed in form factor.

Make browsing the internet possible only on UX approved by Apple, Microsoft, Google. So backtracking 10 years ago, when Android made documents-oriented web browser (= each tab appears just like a standalone app in recent apps), that would have been abuse of that position. No competition allowed in UX. [2]

PS: I come from Android OS world, all those examples already apply to Google/Android.

[0] Well this one will depend on whether their Web Environment Integrity implementation will enforce full secure boot approved by them. Considering how it went for Android, I'd say it will, but can't say for sure.

[1] Yes you can find calculators running Android (but can't run Google/Android so no Chrome). Amongst a lot of other weird Android devices. You can find walking robots, toothbrushes, urinals running Android.

[2] You'll probably find a better example. Arguably it's the same as "competition allowed in browsers", but that was an OS-wide change, but saying it's "OS" IMO largely reduces it.

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#116
Do you know what puzzles me most? How can software engineers work on something like this? Don't those paid engineers or involved ones have the balls or dignity to walk away? I'm just wondering how they would feel about this (if they feel anything at all). I mean, if I'd be in such a position and asked to push something like this I'd have walked away on the spot, no matter what you offer me. No one at Google is standing up against this? I really hope that if this ever sees the light of the day, somehow in the end this backfires badly on them.

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#117
post #56

Unfortunately, we will all happily accept this. Because using Chrome is "convenient". People will accept anything for convenience — WhatsApp is a good example, where millions of people worldwide happily share and sync their entire phone book with Facebook/Meta. If you care, stop using Chrome. If you criticize this evil move, but continue using Chrome, you are part of the problem.

I switched over to a fully open source environment, at least for mobile/desktop OS, browser, almost all software as well as cloud file storage etc. But with a notable exception where I still use Google Search. Perhaps with the rise of LLMs, one day I will run my own LLM to complete the move to being no longer reliant on monopolists.

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#118

I hate to say it, but if you used Chrome to read this, then you're part of the problem. Awful stuff like this wouldn't stand a chance if Google didn't have such a near-monopoly position. For the sake of the open internet, please switch to a different browser. IMO, Firefox is best*, but even something chromium based is probably fine. Just not Google Chrome. * On desktop - Firefox is a bit weaker on Android, with an ex…

Even if you don't care about all that, Firefox is the faster browser.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36770883

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#119
post #34

I think they are signing the end of chrome dominance. People are going to flee to Firefox.

That won't happen. "Normies" don't care. At all. They just want the fastest thing and are happy to watch ads popping up all 5 minutes all day.

Normies used to use IE. Then their techier friends asked them if they have used FF or Chrome and they moved on. Don’t underestimate the impact of local experts on the choices of people who don’t care/have time to explore.

Re: Google engineers want to make ad-blocking (near) impossible

#120
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If anyone does, it’s Google engineers. How much are they paid again? $100k? $200k? $300k? Seriously they have no agency here?

How much is the cost of living? Lifestyle creep? Do they have anyone at home sick and they're the only ones working while also living in a high cost of living area? It's not that easy.

I'm not joking when I say it's very hard to tell whether you're sarcastically making fun of the facetious arguments they could hypothetically put forth or if you're serious.
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