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> because we've been led to think that using Google is akin to running software under our control I would imagine most people arguing about this have no illusi
by asdfasgasdgasdg 8y ago
> because we've been led to think that using Google is akin to running software under our control
I would imagine most people arguing about this have no illusions about how under their control Google is. They're arguing the same reason people argue about other policy questions: because it will affect them, either positively or negatively, and because it's fun.
> lack of Internet champions, but plenty of Web champions
Pedantry. A web champion is a subtype of an internet champion. The US has plenty of both.
- mindslight 8y agoYes, the problem is that it will affect us - these companies are poking hornet nests and creating terrible precedents. If we were running Internet-style software to carry out these tasks, politicians would be faced with the prospect of policing individual behavior. But rather, they have a nice centralized target to attack. It's not pedantry. It's disingenuous to equate Web Giants as standing up for Internet rights, when they're really just optimizing for their bottom line. While the two concepts start off aligned, what happens is that the companies compromise in a way that preserves their profits, yet still destroys the freedom. This actually sets up a barrier to competing with them, called regulatory capture. Witness that it wasn't enough for Google to simply suffer the DMCA, they went beyond and created a whole slew of systems to proactively police their users' activities.