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The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

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Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#91

Post by Barrin92 »

kypro wrote: post #31
whywhywhywhy wrote: post #13

>Do we want, at a time when Russia is considering the UK as an enemy, to be providing all our personal details to a server in Moscow? Depends how good the search is. Google doesn’t seem to want to provide me proper results anymore, even very basic image search tasks on google now net you only about 20 results all of which are wrong or useless. Yandex image search actually works. If you don’t want me to use the Russia…

I wrote a comment a few years back how I was using Yandex quite a bit at the time because there are things I'm simply unable to find on Google – sites like sci-hub for example. Today though I find myself using it daily. The results are far from perfect, but I've never suspected them to be randomly hiding or suppressing search results like many of the popular Western alternatives. I don't use image search much, but ye…

>but I've never suspected them to be randomly hiding or suppressing search results

the word 'random' must be doing a lot of work in that sentence given that they are subject to Roskomnadzor's regulations and are thus forced not just arbitrarily but systematically censor content: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/02/01/a-window-into-yandex...

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#92

Post by undefinedland »

VincentEvans wrote: post #84
undefinedland wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a person with Polish heritage, it's interesting how we see things differently. Best of luck to you. Edit: I live in Australia.

Perhaps the difference is having heritage vs having lived for a large portion of life and still having ties and relatives there? Also, please elaborate. How does does having come from Poland figure into this conversation? You yearn for Soviet rule and hate what capitalism stands for? Or sympathize with Russian justifications for their aggression against a neighbor state and their own people? I can only speculate lack…

[flagged]

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#93

Post by AnimalMuppet »

afavour wrote: post #83
chaosbolt wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Do we want, at a time when Russia is considering the UK as an enemy, to be providing all our personal details to a server in Moscow? (answering to the OP) Yes, there is nothing the Russians can do with my data that my government hasn't done. >Depends how good the search is. Google doesn’t seem to want to provide me proper results anymore, even very basic image search tasks on google now net you only about 20 results…

> Yes, there is nothing the Russians can do with my data that my government hasn't done. I understand anti-government sentiment but whenever I see a statement like this it makes me devalue anything that comes after it. You really think there is nothing a foreign government might do with your personal data that your government hasn't already done? You really feel like there's a similar level of accountability at stake…

Given that they live in the US/UK and not in Russia, yes.

As I understand it, the claim is not that the US/UK are as evil as Russia, or even more or less morally equivalent. The claim is that the US/UK hoover up online information just like Russia (maybe even more), and that they are more exposed to what the US/UK governments do than they are to what Russia does.

Without minimizing the misdeeds of Russia, without resorting to (false) moral equivalence, it's still a defensible point. (Mind you, I'm not sure I agree with it. But it's defensible.)

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#94

Post by _kbh_ »

undefinedland wrote: post #92
VincentEvans wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps the difference is having heritage vs having lived for a large portion of life and still having ties and relatives there? Also, please elaborate. How does does having come from Poland figure into this conversation? You yearn for Soviet rule and hate what capitalism stands for? Or sympathize with Russian justifications for their aggression against a neighbor state and their own people? I can only speculate lack…

[flagged]

> As to this particular war - the US agreed at the end of the cold war not to expand NATO east and yet it did, breaking the agreement.

This is a persistent myth, there was never an agreement to not expand NATO with the USSR, and the one person who would know at the time Mikhail Gorbachev has said as much.

> At multiple points during this war, the Russians have offered to negotiate. Instead, the US has responded with "to the last Ukrainian".

The Ukrainians where negotiating regarding the war then the Russians where pushed out of a number of cities that they held and we saw the horrific scene they left behind.

That is likely the point that the Ukrainian's decided that there would be no negotiating.

> Today, Russia is essentially also arguing for pre-emptive war but the reasoning - putting American missiles and forces in Ukraine - is a hell of a lot plausible.

Yet theres no war against Finland is there, and there will be US soldiers in Finland far before they are ever in Ukraine.

> The fact that there has been not one effort to negotiate by the Americans shows that the West isn't interested in peace or the interests of Ukrainians - they simply want a country naive and suicidal enough to throw themselves against the Russian subhumans.

There has been an effort to negotiate by the Americans, which ironically angered a large number of people as it happened behind the backs of Ukraine by using back channels.

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#95

Post by jamespo »

vogre wrote: post #90
azangru wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don't, you will probably have twitter brigades trying to smear your name. Do Twitter crowds actually do that? Do they keep track of anyone more or less prominent, and write in their comments "Have you spoken out against the war yet?" "I haven't seen you denounce the war"?

[flagged]

Oh no, not cancelling

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#96

Post by Phemist »

kypro wrote: post #31
whywhywhywhy wrote: post #13

>Do we want, at a time when Russia is considering the UK as an enemy, to be providing all our personal details to a server in Moscow? Depends how good the search is. Google doesn’t seem to want to provide me proper results anymore, even very basic image search tasks on google now net you only about 20 results all of which are wrong or useless. Yandex image search actually works. If you don’t want me to use the Russia…

I wrote a comment a few years back how I was using Yandex quite a bit at the time because there are things I'm simply unable to find on Google – sites like sci-hub for example. Today though I find myself using it daily. The results are far from perfect, but I've never suspected them to be randomly hiding or suppressing search results like many of the popular Western alternatives. I don't use image search much, but ye…

www.tineye.com is also a pretty good image searcher.

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#97

Post by cpymchn »

talldatethrow wrote: post #89
unsupp0rted wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember that time a year ago in February when the Namecheap CEO gave every person with a Russian ID, living inside and outside Russia, 1-week notice that their account is terminated and they have to host elsewhere? Including expats, refugees, objectors, what have you. Your contract with Namecheap is terminated for being connected to Russia. Prove to us you're not, if you want to keep your service. His justification?…

[flagged]

To take you literally for a moment: if anyone can claim land across a border, based on a historical grievance, then no border would stand. 70 years without a border war in Europe, so yeah we should try to push that water back up the hill. Otherwise a recursive "I would like my land back please."

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#98

Post by scrollaway »

vogre wrote: post #90
azangru wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you don't, you will probably have twitter brigades trying to smear your name. Do Twitter crowds actually do that? Do they keep track of anyone more or less prominent, and write in their comments "Have you spoken out against the war yet?" "I haven't seen you denounce the war"?

[flagged]

Don't generalize. Your statement, as-is, is nothing but flamebait.

Some people do that. Some of those people are Ukrainian. I've also seen non-Ukrainians do it, and I know plenty of Ukrainians who aren't doing that, which falsifies your comment from the get-go.

With that said, looking at your comment history, I'm just pissing in the wind saying that.

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#99

Post by 7moritz7 »

azangru wrote: post #12

Another example of political language from the article, in addition to what was described in a sibling comment: > Do we want, at a time when Russia is considering the UK as an enemy, to be providing all our personal details to a server in Moscow? Not "at a time when the UK considers Russia as an enemy". There is something of a Russell conjugation here.

Makes a big difference. Truly.

Re: The Yandex leak: How a Russian search giant uses consumer data

#100

Post by barbariangrunge »

roenxi wrote: post #48
whywhywhywhy wrote: post #13

>Do we want, at a time when Russia is considering the UK as an enemy, to be providing all our personal details to a server in Moscow? Depends how good the search is. Google doesn’t seem to want to provide me proper results anymore, even very basic image search tasks on google now net you only about 20 results all of which are wrong or useless. Yandex image search actually works. If you don’t want me to use the Russia…

There is a reasonable argument that, as a minor nobody, we should rather use services from hostile countries. It isn't feasible for Russia to to compel someone in an English-speaking country to do something unpleasant. That is a lot more than can be said for the local police or politicians. Russian corruption doesn't generally touch Western governments - the atmosphere is too hostile to it.

I don’t know, you’ve never heard of blackmail? $500 in Bitcoin to some wallet or we leak your search results to your church group?
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