Google, Technology, Bias, and Censorship

[OutlawBard19]

https://theintercept.com/2018/08/01/...ne-censorship/

I came across this article late last night. I find it intensely concerning, not only that Google is partnering up with a totalitarian regime to further censor the outside world from its citizens, but also that Google has monopolized so much of the internet in the last decade and a half. It's terrifying to think that one megacorporation has so much centralized control over web browsers, software, search results, etc. Heck, I'm even writing this post out on my Google Chromebook, which is the only computer I've ever owned.

What are your thoughts? I think it's quite disturbing that Google is omnipresent and has so much power concentrated within itself, and I think I should start unplugging from Google. I've thought about getting a new laptop or a PC to replace the machine I'm using at present. I've been using it since 2013, and it's getting a bit old now. Any suggestions?

[Mantis]

To be honest with you, whenever I read technology shock reports—regardless of whether it actually has a good basis—I tend to just... ignore it. Then fast-forward a year, nothing's changed and soon enough another report will show up that drives even more people hysterical. I don't think you should take it so seriously. The sky isn't falling.

[KorinKitty]

A lot of what is going on is fueling fears that Google will bend a certain way that ostracizes half of their market. When you think of that, and you consider that Google is a business... Well, it would just be bad for business, ya know? I thought about it and got worried over it but like Mantis said, a lot of this is just hysteria.

[NoviceNinja]

They dominate for now, just like what Microsoft did in the past. All it takes for Google to be toppled over is a competitor who has the guts to be successful and not be forced to sell. But let's accept the fact that most of the Google Apps that are available are innovative and genius. It made a positive impact on everyone and made our lives easier to manage. Starting from their search engine to Maps, to Google Translate, and now cloud storage in the form of Google Drive.

But who knows what the future may hold. Amazon might enter the search engine industry and change the dynamics entirely. We'll never know.

[KorinKitty]

I do find it funny with the Net Neutrality thing... How Google and Netflix both funded the campaign. They wanted to keep it so they could push others off the market and hog all the bandwidth. Even with all their support, they still failed.