Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Google to close engineering office in Russia

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 308 posts

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#3

Post by ars »

jmnicolas wrote: post #2

" Google Inc has plans to shut down its engineering office in Russia amid a crackdown on internet freedoms and a law regarding data-handling practices " Should they close their offices in USA then ? (yes I'm being sarcastic here)

People are so used to their freedom, that they (rightly) get upset over even small losses of it.

But it makes them forget what real loss of freedom is, and think that what they lost is somehow comparable. They just don't realize how bad it can really get.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#6

Post by bgarbiak »

Knowing the government's of Russia ways of controlling the media and opposition, I understand and agree with those scared for personal freedoms. On the other hand, I would feel way better if similar law would be imposed in EU, so my data would stay within its borders and be protected by EU laws.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#8

Post by kevingadd »

This is clearly a pragmatic move that protects them (and their customers), but it feels telling to me that Putin's violent anti-LGBT crackdown - literally threatening the lives of many Google employees, not to mention Google's customers - wasn't sufficient cause to close or relocate their offices.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#10

Post by cromwellian »

bgarbiak wrote: post #6

Knowing the government's of Russia ways of controlling the media and opposition, I understand and agree with those scared for personal freedoms. On the other hand, I would feel way better if similar law would be imposed in EU, so my data would stay within its borders and be protected by EU laws.

Actually, the NSA has a greater power to spy on data on foreign soil than on domestic soil. Ironically, although the 'legal' channels for subpoenaing data with warrants exposes data in the US to government demands, there's at least in theory, some kind of oversight by the courts (although we know they rubber stamp everything).

I think the idea that data held within your home country is 'safer' may be a false sense of security.

Post reply on HN