Google hand over Wikileaks supporter's gmail to the US government, without a warrant.
It was perhaps inevitable that Google would fall from its ethical aspiration. But the question is, what should I do? I started boycotting Amazon for little more than this : throwing Wikileaks off their servers. But it's not nearly as easy to disengage from Google as it is to stop buying books from Amazon.
I'm heavily entangled with its services. I rely on Gmail, Blogger (where I'm writing this), Google Calendar, YouTube, Google Application Engine (for Mind Traffic Control), Google search, Google Maps. I have a Google Analytics account and an AdWords account. I was planning to get (and develop for) an Android device at some point. I was just getting into Google Plus. How the hell do I "punish" this creature I've got so symbiotic with?
I can't just cut the knot cleanly. But I hereby announce that I am starting to disengage as and where convenient. And the long term goal will be to reduce my engagement with Google to the same casual occasionality that I deal with other large evil corporations and to attempt to provide them with as little monetary gain as possible.
To start is easy because I have very little monetary interest in Ad Words. I've just removed them from my two "commercial" blogs : Smart Disorganized and Platform Wars. Neither made me any money so it's no loss.
Let's see what I can do next.
It was perhaps inevitable that Google would fall from its ethical aspiration. But the question is, what should I do? I started boycotting Amazon for little more than this : throwing Wikileaks off their servers. But it's not nearly as easy to disengage from Google as it is to stop buying books from Amazon.
I'm heavily entangled with its services. I rely on Gmail, Blogger (where I'm writing this), Google Calendar, YouTube, Google Application Engine (for Mind Traffic Control), Google search, Google Maps. I have a Google Analytics account and an AdWords account. I was planning to get (and develop for) an Android device at some point. I was just getting into Google Plus. How the hell do I "punish" this creature I've got so symbiotic with?
I can't just cut the knot cleanly. But I hereby announce that I am starting to disengage as and where convenient. And the long term goal will be to reduce my engagement with Google to the same casual occasionality that I deal with other large evil corporations and to attempt to provide them with as little monetary gain as possible.
To start is easy because I have very little monetary interest in Ad Words. I've just removed them from my two "commercial" blogs : Smart Disorganized and Platform Wars. Neither made me any money so it's no loss.
Let's see what I can do next.
6 comments:
It sounds like they were given a gag order, and fought it, but had to turn over the data. So it sounds like they did basically the same as Twitter, though it's not terribly clear. Or do you read it differently?
I don't really have much insight. I'm just going by that article.
Obviously it would be convenient for me if Google were, basically, fairly innocent.
You know me, and know I'll be off topic (sigh). Anyhow what came to mind when I read your post was an article about globalizing US drug policy here
Your elucidation about Netocracy keeps coming to mind. I think about it as I notice the explosion of private groups on Facebook and look at the emergence of the Occupy Wall Street engagements. The important part of the House bill in the link is in expanding conspiracy; or conspiracy as the epistemology of Netocracy.
This shift puts platform owners and platform users in a tight spot.
I'm probably naive, but I can't figure out whether the news here is that Google complied, or whether that the secret order against Applebaum wasn't kept secret. I think it's the leaks that matter most. Google could go to court, and I hope they will sometimes, but I don't have much faith the US courts are on the side of justice.
Phil, you might want to look at the WSJ article that ReadWriteWeb cites as its source. I came to the same conclusion as Bill after reading that.
Anyway, I believe it is a matter of time for any big corporation bend under capitalistic interest against ours.
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