What happens when you upset Google

Rion · Jan 23, 2018

https://archive.is/MOmVi

http://www.itpro.co.uk/business-strategy/30336/what-happens-when-you-upset-google

Google may have started life preaching "don't be evil", but that platitude doesn't seem to extend to companies that upset the search firm. Even as Google fights a €2.7 billion fine for anti-competitive practices in Europe, stories are emerging that portray the company as vindictive, vengeful and eager to buy opinions that match its ambitions.

Small rivals claim to have been crushed by Google's tactics, others have seen their AdSense accounts frozen after speaking out against Google, while the huge funding the company gives to academia and think tanks have led to allegations that it's suppressing negative research or opinion. Google, meanwhile, protests its innocence.

And here we go...

MoonlessNight · Jan 23, 2018

Long past overdue for anti-trust action.

SkyWriting · Jan 23, 2018

Rion said:
https://archive.is/MOmVi

http://www.itpro.co.uk/business-strategy/30336/what-happens-when-you-upset-google

Google may have started life preaching "don't be evil", but that platitude doesn't seem to extend to companies that upset the search firm. Even as Google fights a €2.7 billion fine for anti-competitive practices in Europe, stories are emerging that portray the company as vindictive, vengeful and eager to buy opinions that match its ambitions.

Small rivals claim to have been crushed by Google's tactics, others have seen their AdSense accounts frozen after speaking out against Google, while the huge funding the company gives to academia and think tanks have led to allegations that it's suppressing negative research or opinion. Google, meanwhile, protests its innocence.

And here we go...

Small rivals complaining? Yes, I believe such stories.

ThatRobGuy · Jan 23, 2018

Here's the problem with many of the complaints against Google...

When you trace all of the complaints back to their roots, they all stem from the fact that they have a better product than their competitors. People have often complained about things like "when you search for email services on google, they're putting Gmail at the top of the search results", and things of a similar nature.

Of course they are, that's not anti-competitive. They're under no obligation to promote their competitors products on their own website. If other companies want to make their email services return at the top of search results, then they need to build their own search engine that people want to use more than Google's, and do the same.

That'd be like Burger King complaining that McDonald's isn't advertising Burger King's specials on their menu boards on the grounds that "McDonald's has better food, so more people go there, so that means it's not fair that they use their elevated amount of business as an advantage to only advertise their own specials and not ours!"
(that's strictly a hypothetical, both McD's and BK have terrible food)

The people who try to do these sorts of things must want the kinds of competition where nobody wins.

Rion · Jan 23, 2018

ThatRobGuy said:
Here's the problem with many of the complaints against Google...

When you trace all of the complaints back to their roots, they all stem from the fact that they have a better product than their competitors. People have often complained about things like "when you search for email services on google, they're putting Gmail at the top of the search results", and things of a similar nature.

Of course they are, that's not anti-competitive. They're under no obligation to promote their competitors products on their own website. If other companies want to make their email services return at the top of search results, then they need to build their own search engine that people want to use more than Google's, and do the same.

That'd be like Burger King complaining that McDonald's isn't advertising Burger King's specials on their menu boards on the grounds that "McDonald's has better food, so more people go there, so that means it's not fair that they use their elevated amount of business as an advantage to only advertise their own specials and not ours!"
(that's strictly a hypothetical, both McD's and BK have terrible food)

The people who try to do these sorts of things must want the kinds of competition where nobody wins.

...did you read the story? Like, for example, the first incident? Which reminded me of another story that popped up when it first happened:

https://gizmodo.com/yes-google-uses-its-power-to-quash-ideas-it-doesn-t-li-1798646437

Landon Caeli · Jan 23, 2018

Google is an American company. Couldn't be that bad.

Rion · Jan 23, 2018

Landon Caeli said:
Google is an American company. Couldn't be that bad.

...I'm assuming you haven't read the Damore lawsuit?

FenderTL5 · Jan 23, 2018

just for clarification; are you advocating that there be some sort of regulation on Google or search engines?

ThatRobGuy · Jan 23, 2018

Rion said:
...did you read the story? Like, for example, the first incident? Which reminded me of another story that popped up when it first happened:

https://gizmodo.com/yes-google-uses-its-power-to-quash-ideas-it-doesn-t-li-1798646437

If you throw lots of money at a think tank, you have a right to have a say in how its run...

You throw a lot of money at a cause/organization, you have a right to threaten to start withholding future moneys should they act in ways you don't approve of...

What they're doing is no different than what the Koch brothers (IE: use massive wealth to squash ideas that aren't conducive to their business via established think tanks and preventing critical pieces from getting published), in a much more benign manner, truth be told.

Only difference is that Google skews left on the political spectrum while the Koch brothers skew right...

...but in any case, my post was mainly centered around the complaints from other tech companies who cry about Google promoting their own products first in search results.

FireDragon76 · Jan 23, 2018

Google skews "left" only on some social issues. Otherwise they aren't that different from any other big company.

ThatRobGuy · Jan 23, 2018

FireDragon76 said:
Google skews "left" only on some social issues. Otherwise they aren't that different from any other big company.

Correct...however, I suspect their left-leaning stance on some certain issues is why the folks, who would typically refer to such activities as reaping the benefits of the free market or exercising free speech, seem to get more upset about this example.

Google's essentially engaging in a much more benign, watered down version of what the Koch brothers do with "Americans for Prosperity". Key difference being, google's activities seem to be confined to protecting and promoting their brand, as to where the latter attempts to sway elections and federal policy.

Landon Caeli · Jan 23, 2018

Yes, google is just another good American capitalist, free market organization. The EU sues them for 2.7 billion over some socialist claptrap? Yeah, I know whose side I'm on.

Google, Wal-Mart, all good capitalists.

TerryWoodenpic · Jan 23, 2018

When it is a question of power who messes with the relevant God.

Landon Caeli · Jan 23, 2018

Rion said:
...I'm assuming you haven't read the Damore lawsuit?

Mr. Damore got in the way of Googles method of business. For that, he deserved a swift termination.

Landon Caeli · Jan 23, 2018

TerryWoodenpic said:
When it is a question of power who messes with the relevant God.

I don't quite understand what you mean. Was that a question?

Gadarene · Jan 23, 2018

Landon Caeli said:
Yes, google is just another good American capitalist, free market organization. The EU sues them for 2.7 billion over some socialist claptrap? Yeah, I know whose side I'm on

Kek

That’ll be why the actual socialists in my country want out of the EU then

MoonlessNight · Jan 23, 2018

Landon Caeli said:
Mr. Damore got in the way of Googles method of business. For that, he deserved a swift termination.

Said "method of business" being to bow down to social justice claptrap, to avoid making members of their company "threatened" or "uncomfortable."

Rion · Jan 23, 2018

FenderTL5 said:
just for clarification; are you advocating that there be some sort of regulation on Google or search engines?

Google needs to be broken up.

FireDragon76 said:
Google skews "left" only on some social issues. Otherwise they aren't that different from any other big company.

If by left you mean so far left that they support and approve "headmates" in a guy who identified as a building, yes, a bit left.

Tanj · Jan 23, 2018

Rion said:
Google needs to be broken up.

Into what? Which bits of Googles' products should go into which part of the split?

In what way are they engaging in monopolization?

MoonlessNight · Jan 23, 2018

Tanj said:
Into what? Which bits of Googles' products should go into which part of the split?

In what way are they engaging in monopolization?

Youtube is a pretty clear example of a monopoly. You can argue that there are alternative video upload sites, but none of them are viable for most purposes. In the same way you could argue that there were alternatives to Windows on PCs, but that didn't stop Microsoft from getting hammered by Anti-Trust judgments on the issue (though technically they settled).

That's just one place they could get hit.

What happens when you upset Google

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