(no subject)

[camrogers]

Had a brilliant night. Will post something decent sometime over the next few days. Meanwhile, here's this:


Google wants to own your every waking minute online--at home, while in transit, at your workplace, wherever you happen to be. It makes connectivity oh so easy, on a desktop, laptop or mobile phone. How much easier via a little-known business called Google Applications that allows us to instantly share Google calendars, spreadsheets, memos, reports, e-mail, corporate blogs, presentations and more--much, much more--by storing them in Google's enormous data centers. These bundled office-suite services make Google money on subscriptions, but they are also something of a Trojan horse to pull more people onto the Internet so that Google can make even more money from ads. By expanding what kinds of information people organize and share, as well as what they search, Google makes users ever more dependent on it to get through the day. But just who is in control here?<span __wave_xml="Google wants to own your every waking minute online--at home, while in transit, at your workplace, wherever you happen to be. It makes connectivity oh so easy, on a desktop, laptop or mobile phone. How much easier via a little-known business called Google Applications that allows us to instantly share Google calendars, spreadsheets, memos, reports, e-mail, corporate blogs, presentations and more--much, much more--by storing them in Google's enormous data centers. These bundled office-suite services make Google money on subscriptions, but they are also something of a Trojan horse to pull more people onto the Internet so that Google can make even more money from ads. By expanding what kinds of information people organize and share, as well as what they search, Google makes users ever more dependent on it to get through the day. But just who is in control here?" http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1228/technology-google-apps-gmail-bing.html

Comments

[usekh.livejournal.com]

I must admit I am getting a bit...bleh...about the Google paranoia. They only have as much information as you let them have. Aside from perhaps Google Wave(and Streetview) which is it's own thing there is not a single Google app that doesn't have a dozen different other versions from other companies. The reason they succeed is that generally their versions are better/cheaper/more convenient.

I mean really, we should be wary of them because they are better?

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

Centralisation of any kind of power is bad news, because we never know what the future holds and over a long enough timeline that centralisation will be abused. Also, Google's digital books swifty is a major act of fuckery. There's myriad reasons to be wary.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

I just see a difference where their is centralisation of power because someone happens to make the best product? it is not like their isn't room for someone to build a better mousetrap (or search engine) just no-one has been able to so far. And not because Google is stymieing competition like MS did.

I mean look at the end game, so to speak, do we ban them from creating the most effective tools?

[bunnitos.livejournal.com]

I have to agree that I'm pretty positive about Google as well. They make useful products that work well. I haven't seen any evidence that they're using my data for evil or monopolizing the market. There are rivals out there, they just don't have products that are as good.

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

The issue isn't what's happening now. The issue is that eventually it will be abused. Information is the most valuable thing in this age, yet we're still viewing it with a 19th century mindset. Google isn't. This situation will be abused. If not by the current administration, the next. Or the one after that. It's inevitable.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

And they only have as much info as we let them. It is not like an oppressive government that acquires it compulsorily. The average person can stay off the google radar if they want.

And the other issue as mentioned is what do we do? Ban them from making effective products?

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

They do have a very good system. The reason it's very good is because their mission statement from get-go was "We Want Your Info." The reason their stuff is so good is because in centralising our info for our benefit, it centralises our info for their benefit. In the 21st century this is an enormous amount of power - the kind of power intelligence agencies have fantasised about for centuries. What's more that power equals control - the incident with the publishing industry is a perfect example. No fight put up, and everything handed over to Google, and on their terms (to paraphrase Ursula leGuin's resignation over the issue.)