Hey, for a few days now, out of a fit of necessity and slight paranoia, I've been overhauling my internet security. That includes passwords, VPNs, studying different technologies like Tor, without knowing for sure if it's necessary.
But, despite it's questionnable necessity, I've been contemplating google. I'm sure you guys already know how google basically owns the internet, at this point. Their business model is perfect for it. Hence the reason they support a free internet. Not becauses the company has morals, but because a censored internet is an internet without google. I mean, most alternative media outlets use YouTube as the main distribution platform. So, it makes me wonder what one company with the right business model can do with all of that. And it begs to make me nervous at times. Just how most of my passwords, personal data, settings, is being shipped out of my router to Google's cloud servers because I use Google Chrome.
What scares me the most isn't that we are being put in databases. It is that we, to the system, are being turned into simple variables to be meddled with. As Søren Kierkegaard said, "Once you label me you negate me.". And I feel as though that quote can be used here. By taking a complex individual and labeling their preferences into simple lines of binary code kinda destabilizes me. Are we such complex creatures that we can be described by such a simple platform? Anyways, the fact is, once something puts itself higher than something else, a sense of hubrisness develops. Especially when it comes to humanity's beautiful yet controversial arrogance.
Anyways, I know that I've strayed off the question. But, anyways, are my concerns valid about google? Or are their system something not to need questioning?
http://www.duckduckgo.com/ its a good search engine, no sales of information. Just sponsored by donations and have proven themselves as somewhat good guys. If google chrome scares you, there is FireFox and Opera. They're just as good if not better in some ways.
Yeah, I've personally moved to Firefox, which I was using a few years back. And my passwords are now being saved using KeePass, which, to my knowledge, doesn't have proper support on Chrome.
Though, there's the possibility of just simply being wary to change. That change being the innovations Google are putting up (i.e Google Glasses, auto-cars, etc). But, still, having heard "Google it", all my life, I've grown around google.
Personaly I think that google has done what any company tries to do and must do to stay alive, gain market share and increase profits. This approach, whilst it is the foundation of our society, often disregards the individual.
I am not a fan of goofle (yes goofle) for a number of reasons, invading my privacy for their own proffit being one, hence why when I have the choice I use firefox or safari (I am forced to use chrome at work due to the IT department...) and use bing as a search engine (Bing ultimatly has the same goals as goofle but has yet to mature to a point where it can impliment strategies to achive those goals).I also use a multidue of different online alias's for things such as youtube, vimeo, soundcloud and the like so that I can try to maintain some the anonimity we all once had.
I don't like being given a number, I have a name. I don't like being put into a group, I am an individual.
Once something becomes like a moniker, it falsifies reality, "just Google it" will produce the same false image of reality as "just Photoshop it" or "just run it through accounting" or "just run it through a tax simulation", whereas "just" in its real meaning is "just" the opposite, as a reminder of how natural language expresses the opposite meaning the term itself has as if it were a non-verbal warning that is is nothing but a self-fulfilling prophecy of what follows.
Just like "just run it through Prism" will create a lot of false reality, misunderstanding, injustice, hatred, and human tragedy.
People that can't accept that they have to learn more of the human condition every single day, should not apply database queries in a way that can affect other people, just as they are not fit to use weapons or gather food or preach or speak justice...
The banking sector was the first to adopt big data and data analysis software. Banks "just ran it through the database" and approved credit... yeah...
Von Jhering said that law can be a shield to defend someone and a hammer to knock on someone's head. The same goes for any logical construct of human kind, including Google. "Just" don't use Google as a hammer, 'kay?...
Google is a business and they are making money selling and owning your personal habbits. If they charged you a monthly free for all their services would you really pay for it? Just imagine if you wanted to host a small search engine from your place. A few servers, a load balancer, OS licences, elec, lighting, AC, hardware spares, etc, etc, bascially costly and thats just on a tiny level.
So my view is Google is a business that makes money they (indirectly charge, via selling your info) charge for their services, if you dont like it use someone elses.
What I do not like it how they do not really make clear to you what they are doing unlike what we are all used to it a cost/charge that is clearly advertised.
Personally I think it will get a lot worse then the Goverments will want to hook in and it will get worse.
I am keen as a experiement to try to live without Google for say 4 weeks and see how that goes before I can say its possible to not use Google..
I've personally moved from Chrome to Firefox - Google.com to duckduckgo.com. The only Google service I'm using is YouTube. Today, it's pretty much impossible to not be connected to Google one way or another. Just their ad services are being used by a lot of sites, today.
Also, we can't forget google when it first started, their clean, uncluttered search engine. Yes, they had ads, which, frankly, I don't mind. It's the personalized ads that put me off a tad. And the following:
I would be ready to say that about 70-80% of the screen is dedicated to ads, and/or their other services. It's perfectly understandable for them to be able to make a profit. That's why I don't believe in adblock. Albeit a shame that there isn't an alternative way for sites to make a profit, it's a status quo that I have to accept. What I can't accept is ads that follow you around. Ads that assign you a number a la 1984, and try to jam their product down your throat.
I invite you guys to check out the following PDF: http://www.benedelman.org/presentations/dominance-in-search-feb12.pdf
Worry about them, They are monopolizing the web along with Facebook if they haven't already done so.(imo they have) Also has anyone checked out there modems? They are bloody massive, Why do they need to be so big?
Everyone keeps bringing up Internet 2.0, Meanwhile google is trying to spread GB internet speeds at affordable prices around the globe. They've already seperated themselfs enough from Facebook in the spy / mining race that they will now go for the gold with absolute complete control. They are portraying themselves as heroes for petty things. Liberty > GB Internet.
My Portuguese ancestors conquered half the planet with this same bearing gifts technique.
