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This article omits some pretty relevant info: * Thiel founded Palantir [0], which has a very deep and ongoing relationship providing counter-terrorism info and

This article omits some pretty relevant info: * Thiel founded Palantir [0], which has a very deep and ongoing relationship providing counter-terrorism info and analytics to 3-letter agencies. His comments are likely an attempt to protect Palantir's contracts from Google. * Google recently (2018) had trouble with employees exposing a censored search engine project targeted for China, and quitting over it [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palantir_Technologies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palantir_Technologies [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/technology/google-employees-protest-search-censored-china.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/technology/google-employe...

taiwanboy 7y ago
And the article actually glanced at but didn’t elaborate on - Google decided to open a new AI research center in China, expanding its existing presence there. This in the face of expanding AI assisted surveillance in xinjiang and its 10 million population. - Google decided not to renew its contract for project maven, a way to analyze drone footage using AI, for the US DoD
- lern_too_spel 7y ago
  > Google decided to open a new AI research center in China, expanding its existing presence there. This in the face of expanding AI assisted surveillance in xinjiang and its 10 million population. What does the first point have to do with the second? Is Google assisting in surveillance in Xinjiang? A more direct connection is Apple handing over access to all Chinese users' iCloud data to the PRC, despite knowing about the mass surveillance and detentions in Xinjiang that this data transfer enables. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/02/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-apple-in-china/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/02/5-things-you-...
la_barba 7y ago
Palantir's clients might be public info, but AFAIK, there is no evidence that Google has completely terminated their relationship with the NSA and the CIA. Also to be super fair, it may well be that Google has no choice in this matter. But in any case, the 'treasonous' claim seems to be a whole lot of hot air. Google will be shut-down before they give China any direct access that assists their intelligence ops.
- claudeganon 7y ago
  >Google will be shut-down before they give China any direct access that assists their intelligence ops. Their Dragonfly project was going to be providing this kind of surveillance to the Chinese government until Googlers (indeterminately) put a stop to it? https://theintercept.com/collections/google-dragonfly-china/ https://theintercept.com/collections/google-dragonfly-china/
  - la_barba 7y ago
    I don't know what you mean by "this kind" of surveillance. What was reported was they were going to give the Chinese government the ability to remove links from their index. Any business in China has to operate in accordance with the local law. Yes, thats probably incompatible with the morality of some people, but doesn't sound like some crazy surveillance scheme to me. Also, as an aside, nobody (especially in the west) seems to be willing to take a personal hit on this. Have the people who oppose this stopped buying stuff from China? Buying Chinese made goods is just sending more cash to the Chinese government. Has Google stopped manufacturing their phones in China? Has Apple or anyone else? Its all fake concern and useless posturing for PR as far as I am concerned.
- creaghpatr 7y ago
  On that note it would be paradoxically a conflict of interest for the CIA/NSA to investigate Google and yet of course they have because of their working relationship. So any penetration from China should theoretically be detected by them anyway or at least on their radar.
  - utopian3 7y ago
    This is nonsense. They wouldn’t have live pcaps of every router and endpoint at Google.
    - la_barba 7y ago
      Yes, live pcaps of every router does sound like nonsense doesn't it? I'm sure you too can imagine a far more saner scenario.
friendlybus 7y ago
>which has a very deep and ongoing relationship providing counter-terrorism info and analytics to 3-letter agencies. I mean it borderlines on his job to be interested in the subject matter of Chinese spying or whatever. Who watches Google? This all might come to nothing, but having tech companies watch each other would be advantageous for the public. I agree there's politicing involved here.

taiwanboy 7y ago

And the article actually glanced at but didn’t elaborate on - Google decided to open a new AI research center in China, expanding its existing presence there. This in the face of expanding AI assisted surveillance in xinjiang and its 10 million population. - Google decided not to renew its contract for project maven, a way to analyze drone footage using AI, for the US DoD

lern_too_spel 7y ago
> Google decided to open a new AI research center in China, expanding its existing presence there. This in the face of expanding AI assisted surveillance in xinjiang and its 10 million population. What does the first point have to do with the second? Is Google assisting in surveillance in Xinjiang? A more direct connection is Apple handing over access to all Chinese users' iCloud data to the PRC, despite knowing about the mass surveillance and detentions in Xinjiang that this data transfer enables. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/02/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-apple-in-china/ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/02/5-things-you-...

la_barba 7y ago

Palantir's clients might be public info, but AFAIK, there is no evidence that Google has completely terminated their relationship with the NSA and the CIA. Also to be super fair, it may well be that Google has no choice in this matter. But in any case, the 'treasonous' claim seems to be a whole lot of hot air. Google will be shut-down before they give China any direct access that assists their intelligence ops.

claudeganon 7y ago
>Google will be shut-down before they give China any direct access that assists their intelligence ops. Their Dragonfly project was going to be providing this kind of surveillance to the Chinese government until Googlers (indeterminately) put a stop to it? https://theintercept.com/collections/google-dragonfly-china/ https://theintercept.com/collections/google-dragonfly-china/
- la_barba 7y ago
  I don't know what you mean by "this kind" of surveillance. What was reported was they were going to give the Chinese government the ability to remove links from their index. Any business in China has to operate in accordance with the local law. Yes, thats probably incompatible with the morality of some people, but doesn't sound like some crazy surveillance scheme to me. Also, as an aside, nobody (especially in the west) seems to be willing to take a personal hit on this. Have the people who oppose this stopped buying stuff from China? Buying Chinese made goods is just sending more cash to the Chinese government. Has Google stopped manufacturing their phones in China? Has Apple or anyone else? Its all fake concern and useless posturing for PR as far as I am concerned.
creaghpatr 7y ago
On that note it would be paradoxically a conflict of interest for the CIA/NSA to investigate Google and yet of course they have because of their working relationship. So any penetration from China should theoretically be detected by them anyway or at least on their radar.
- utopian3 7y ago
  This is nonsense. They wouldn’t have live pcaps of every router and endpoint at Google.
  - la_barba 7y ago
    Yes, live pcaps of every router does sound like nonsense doesn't it? I'm sure you too can imagine a far more saner scenario.

friendlybus 7y ago

>which has a very deep and ongoing relationship providing counter-terrorism info and analytics to 3-letter agencies. I mean it borderlines on his job to be interested in the subject matter of Chinese spying or whatever. Who watches Google? This all might come to nothing, but having tech companies watch each other would be advantageous for the public. I agree there's politicing involved here.