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Google Calendar Is Down

calendar.google.com

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Re: Google Calendar Is Down

#71

Post by opencl »

ma2rten wrote: post #51
djsumdog wrote: post #25

I moved off to Radicale years ago: https://radicale.org/ I use it with Thunderbird, and DavDroid (now DavX) to handle all my events and contacts (SMS contacts even show up correctly in Hangouts on Android phones) I realize GCal is rarely ever down, but they do harvest all your data to sell you shit. Here's a basic Dockerfile for Radicale if you want to try it out: https://github.com/sumdog/bee2/tree/master/dockerfile…

I work at google. I am pretty sure google calendar data is not used for ads targeting. The same is true for gmail.

Has Google made any public statements about whether or not calendar data is used for ad targeting? Gmail was used for ad targeting until mid-2017[1] but I haven't seen anything about calendar.

[1] https://blog.google/products/gmail/g-suite-gains-traction-in...

Re: Google Calendar Is Down

#72

Post by soverance »

manigandham wrote: post #54

This is especially chaotic for business GSuite users. Wonder if there's an offline/local cache service available for cloud-hosted systems, that would be a good middle-ground between local control and cloud-backed scale.

At the very least, if you had your Google Calendar synced to your mobile device (with the Calendar app) you can still view your meetings offline. You just can't add new ones.

Re: Google Calendar Is Down

#74

Post by jfaat »

ma2rten wrote: post #51
djsumdog wrote: post #25

I moved off to Radicale years ago: https://radicale.org/ I use it with Thunderbird, and DavDroid (now DavX) to handle all my events and contacts (SMS contacts even show up correctly in Hangouts on Android phones) I realize GCal is rarely ever down, but they do harvest all your data to sell you shit. Here's a basic Dockerfile for Radicale if you want to try it out: https://github.com/sumdog/bee2/tree/master/dockerfile…

I work at google. I am pretty sure google calendar data is not used for ads targeting. The same is true for gmail.

Do you mean other than the ads inside gmail?

Re: Google Calendar Is Down

#76

Post by toss1 »

ma2rten wrote: post #51
djsumdog wrote: post #25

I moved off to Radicale years ago: https://radicale.org/ I use it with Thunderbird, and DavDroid (now DavX) to handle all my events and contacts (SMS contacts even show up correctly in Hangouts on Android phones) I realize GCal is rarely ever down, but they do harvest all your data to sell you shit. Here's a basic Dockerfile for Radicale if you want to try it out: https://github.com/sumdog/bee2/tree/master/dockerfile…

I work at google. I am pretty sure google calendar data is not used for ads targeting. The same is true for gmail.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.

About 2yrs ago I booked a flight to my relatives for a Christmas trip and pasted the info into my Google calendar. Within hours, I got google calendar notices about not having confirmed my hotel reservation. It was VERY annoying as it was borderline deceptive, presented as if I'd already gone through the whole reservation process but failed to confirm.

It was definitely a Google notice, and a Google confirmation process when I clicked through to confirm if I wanted this service. I shut it off as best I could find and told them I wanted no part of any such deceptive marketing, even though I would perhaps have wanted a service that made it clear that I was being offered an option, not a fake reminder.

I saw nothing of it since, but then I'd shut it off, so I should have no data. So, it seems that Google has siloed projects that not all employees know about...

Re: Google Calendar Is Down

#77

Post by travisjungroth »

amelius wrote: post #50
brobdingnagians wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now I'm curious when the last time Google search went down? they must lose a lot of money everytime that happens. or is that one of those services where they spend ridiculous amounts of money and talent on making sure it never goes down?

I'm guessing that Google search is easier to distribute over a larger set of machines, since the data it uses is static to a large degree and less bound to specific users.

Search also has the possibility of degrading nicely, unlike a calendar. You could store the top million sites in some backup service and drop down to string matching if you had to. Searching for “how to train a hunting dog”? Here’s the Wikipedia page for Dog. Best of luck.

Re: Google Calendar Is Down

#78

Post by jpalomaki »

chipperyman573 wrote: post #65
ma2rten wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work at google. I am pretty sure google calendar data is not used for ads targeting. The same is true for gmail.

Then what do they gain from it?

Companies pay €€€ to use it for business. Free version was good introduction.

One reason for using Gmail (which is generating ad money) is the integration with calendar. Getting travel bookings automatically in calendar is useful.

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