Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
blindfiveyearold.com
Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
1–10 of 20 posts
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#2While I didn't expand upon it in the piece I believe many apply the 'evil' brush to a host of normal, though sometimes ruthless, business activities.
People seem consumed with those 'wrongs' and wind up missing the larger picture entirely.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#3Google is only guilty of being Evil because they raised the bar by making it a part of their motto.
So people will -naturally- hold google up to the standard that google has set for themselves. And based on that standard they've done plenty of evil, and they will likely do plenty more.
'Don't be evil' sets you up for the interpretation of every act you perform against the background of what the rest of the world thinks is evil or not. That means that when you promote your own browser on services that are already very much entrenched at the expense of other browsers that some people will see that as an act of evil, and will conclude that 'don't be evil' was just a nice slogan.
If you help governments censor data then that might be construed by some as proof that you are evil.
If you collect data on every visitor to your website and you make it seem that you give them the option to stop tracking you when in fact the language is worded in such a way that you misdirect those people (likely not lawyers, and likely not able to spot the subtle difference in wording) that this is proof that you are evil.
I think google brought this on themselves. They were going to set a new standard, but it seems like they are just another large company. Nobody would have thought of labeling them 'evil' if they had not started the use of that word to distance themselves from their competition.
But now they're stuck with it and they will either have to admit that it wasn't all that easy, to be large and 'not evil' at the same time or they will have to start to really live by their motto.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#4"To get people to use the Internet more" ... on Google properties. How else do you explain Google+ ?
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#5Google is only guilty of being Evil because they raised the bar by making it a part of their motto. So people will -naturally- hold google up to the standard that google has set for themselves. And based on that standard they've done plenty of evil, and they will likely do plenty more. 'Don't be evil' sets you up for the interpretation of every act you perform against the background of what the rest of the world thin…
Yes, the 'Don't be Evil' motto sets Google up for being a target for every little thing that someone thinks is wrong, whether or not it really is or not.
What I think is meant by that motto is that they want to be a positive force, to use their technology and smarts for good. But of course, there's an ends justify the means argument and not everyone will have the same definition of good.
The censorship stuff is ... sticky. The data collection stuff is largely fine though a full opt-out is difficult. The problem there is that Google knows that personalized experiences are better for users whether they know it or not.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#6"To get people to use the Internet more" ... on Google properties. How else do you explain Google+ ?
I covered Google+ in the piece. It's definitely a bit of an outlier. I see Google+ as two things:
1) A way for Google to get primary and active signals about user preferences to better personalize search results. (aka - make search better).
2) A way to break the monopoly Facebook had on social attention. The strategy only works if users are in places where Google has a presence. That's almost everywhere - except Facebook. So ensuring that attention doesn't pool and persist in a dead zone was important - and I think they've succeeded.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#7Google is only guilty of being Evil because they raised the bar by making it a part of their motto. So people will -naturally- hold google up to the standard that google has set for themselves. And based on that standard they've done plenty of evil, and they will likely do plenty more. 'Don't be evil' sets you up for the interpretation of every act you perform against the background of what the rest of the world thin…
Yes, the 'Don't be Evil' motto sets Google up for being a target for every little thing that someone thinks is wrong, whether or not it really is or not. What I think is meant by that motto is that they want to be a positive force, to use their technology and smarts for good. But of course, there's an ends justify the means argument and not everyone will have the same definition of good. The censorship stuff is ... s…
> The problem there is that Google knows that personalized experiences are better for users whether they know it or not.
That's really problematic, that Google would even think that it knows better for its users whether they know it or not.
Users know best what is best for them, period. No need to second guess.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, the 'Don't be Evil' motto sets Google up for being a target for every little thing that someone thinks is wrong, whether or not it really is or not. What I think is meant by that motto is that they want to be a positive force, to use their technology and smarts for good. But of course, there's an ends justify the means argument and not everyone will have the same definition of good. The censorship stuff is ... s…
> The problem there is that Google knows that personalized experiences are better for users whether they know it or not. That's really problematic, that Google would even think that it knows better for its users whether they know it or not. Users know best what is best for them, period. No need to second guess.
Users know best what is best for them, period. No need to second guess.
I disagree, there are plenty of examples were groups of users will make poor decisions about how they would like things to work. Gaming and security are two things that come to mind immediately.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The problem there is that Google knows that personalized experiences are better for users whether they know it or not. That's really problematic, that Google would even think that it knows better for its users whether they know it or not. Users know best what is best for them, period. No need to second guess.
Users know best what is best for them, period. No need to second guess. I disagree, there are plenty of examples were groups of users will make poor decisions about how they would like things to work. Gaming and security are two things that come to mind immediately.
That is not the right context here.
You can pull in examples from all over the place but the context is if a user demands privacy over customized search results then google has no business second guessing that users decision.
Re: Google's Evil Plan is Simple (and not so evil)
#10Will we ever see a day where the word evil isn't in nearly every Google news headline? After 10+ years this is getting a little old.