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This really hits on a lot of nerves of the general HN crowd (especially when these things are combined): - Google - "Censorship" (loosely defined) - China (v

This really hits on a lot of nerves of the general HN crowd (especially when these things are combined): - Google - "Censorship" (loosely defined) - China (vs India vs a US company, which could really be its own point) But if you read the article it seems to be a logical decision. Google (likely) did something similar for zoom: https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/03/24/zooms-android-app-rating-has-been-absolutely-destroyed-by-coronavirus/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/03/24/zooms-android-app-r... Assuming there's nothing left out by the author, I don't really think there's anything newsworthy here, just something that google did that aligns with its past actions (not to say it doesn't belong on HN)

plerpin 6y ago
I swear you could generate a 100% realistic comment thread from a Markov chain of those broad topics.
- Freeboots 6y ago
  https://hncynic.leod.org/ https://hncynic.leod.org/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19694578 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19694578
  - blauditore 6y ago
    Wow, excerpt of my first attempt with this: > I'm sure Google is planning to release a time machine which can manage the tracking of tasks that I just worked on last year. > I can't tell if it's a "Google Timemachine" or a "Google Tracking App". If they release a "Time TimeMachine", this is a killer feature that will have a huge impact on how people interact with their time. I would be interested to know if this also means that you can just add a "Time TimeMachine" that will do some tracking on the number of meetings you have, or if I want to track your "time."
  - thepete2 6y ago
    that is surprisingly good. I tried "world is ending in the next 2 weeks" and I'm not sure I would recognise them as fake.
frequentnapper 6y ago
there was no China Vs India. Just Tiktok vs Youtube - really Indian Youtube and Tiktok content creators dissing each other...
- chipperyman573 6y ago
  I just meant that Tiktok is a chinese owned company (and therefore state-owned). China has forced companies to do similar things before.
  - three_seagrass 6y ago
    Right, by strong-arming businesses with the threat of not having access to the Chinese market - i.e. forcing Apple to move Chinese citizen cloud data to government-owned data centers. Google doesn't even have access to China so there's no financial motivation.
    - chipperyman573 6y ago
      In 2018 google demonstrated interest in re-entering the chinese market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(search_engine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(search_engine) It wouldn't be a stretch to assume there's something going on behind the scenes that China could use to force Google's hand. I'm not saying that's what happened but that is a possible response I was thinking about when writing my original comment.
      - three_seagrass 6y ago
        And summarily pulled out after Google employees revolted, showing that the employees at Google care more about privacy than money than the employees at Apple. Google still doesn't have access to China and even if they tried it again, the employees would leak and stop it again.
    - thedudeabides5 6y ago
      And yet... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23305149 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23305149
TechticSolution 6y ago
If Google want to remove all negative review at TikTok app then Google first ask personally to all reviewers. If reviewers are agree to remove their review then Google proceed. If Google want to remove all negative review then Google also allow all fake reviewer for increasing any app rating.
foolmeonce 6y ago
> Google (likely) did something similar for zoom Zoom is a good example of terrible user experience. It won't even summarize the status of your connection and the meeting you are trying to join. If Skype fixed Multi-Party and made it free we would have roasted Microsoft for doing it as poorly as Zoom and Google would have filtered nothing.
- randomsearch 6y ago
  Bit OT but agree Zoom UX is weird awful. Still, the video works nearly all the time, which I guess is the most important thing.
  - triplea9 6y ago
    What specific aspects of the UX would you say are awful? Because at the moment I’d strongly disagree, Zooms UX, along with how easy it is to join meetings, is one of the primary reasons it’s popularity has skyrocketed since the pandemic started. Users find it extremely simple and easy to use.
    - randomsearch 6y ago
      > Users find it extremely simple and easy to use. Anecdotally, I'd disagree with this statement. It seems people pay for it because the video is more reliable than web apps and skype. It's really rather basic stuff: "Schedule" is used as a noun but it can also be a verb, so bad choice of labels. To admit someone to a room I have to bring up the partipants chat. Wtf. When I'm in another application whilst awaiting people to join I have to keep checking, why not a notification and sound when they join? If I'm trying to join a meeting in similar situation, I can't work because there's a window blocking my screen (Mac). The constant suggestions of dial-in audio (wtf) are annoying and confusing. etcetera, ad infinitum. Additional complaints: there is a weird bug that causes audio quality to drop to "tinny phone" levels when using airpods. They fixed it. And now they broke it again. The white balance doesn't work and I can't adjust it... Don't get me wrong, I use it because the video works with groups and doesn't stutter often. But the UX is awful.
- 6y ago
ketzu 6y ago
afair it's also something steam does for games: after some time remove votes from the accumulated vote when they seem from reviewbombing. https://kotaku.com/valve-says-it-will-remove-off-topic-review-bombs-from-s-1833332643 https://kotaku.com/valve-says-it-will-remove-off-topic-revie... I think the motivation is legitimate as the votes do not reflect the actual app/game.

plerpin 6y ago

I swear you could generate a 100% realistic comment thread from a Markov chain of those broad topics.

Freeboots 6y ago
https://hncynic.leod.org/ https://hncynic.leod.org/ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19694578 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19694578
- blauditore 6y ago
  Wow, excerpt of my first attempt with this: > I'm sure Google is planning to release a time machine which can manage the tracking of tasks that I just worked on last year. > I can't tell if it's a "Google Timemachine" or a "Google Tracking App". If they release a "Time TimeMachine", this is a killer feature that will have a huge impact on how people interact with their time. I would be interested to know if this also means that you can just add a "Time TimeMachine" that will do some tracking on the number of meetings you have, or if I want to track your "time."
- thepete2 6y ago
  that is surprisingly good. I tried "world is ending in the next 2 weeks" and I'm not sure I would recognise them as fake.

frequentnapper 6y ago

there was no China Vs India. Just Tiktok vs Youtube - really Indian Youtube and Tiktok content creators dissing each other...

chipperyman573 6y ago
I just meant that Tiktok is a chinese owned company (and therefore state-owned). China has forced companies to do similar things before.
- three_seagrass 6y ago
  Right, by strong-arming businesses with the threat of not having access to the Chinese market - i.e. forcing Apple to move Chinese citizen cloud data to government-owned data centers. Google doesn't even have access to China so there's no financial motivation.
  - chipperyman573 6y ago
    In 2018 google demonstrated interest in re-entering the chinese market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(search_engine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(search_engine) It wouldn't be a stretch to assume there's something going on behind the scenes that China could use to force Google's hand. I'm not saying that's what happened but that is a possible response I was thinking about when writing my original comment.
    - three_seagrass 6y ago
      And summarily pulled out after Google employees revolted, showing that the employees at Google care more about privacy than money than the employees at Apple. Google still doesn't have access to China and even if they tried it again, the employees would leak and stop it again.
  - thedudeabides5 6y ago
    And yet... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23305149 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23305149

TechticSolution 6y ago

If Google want to remove all negative review at TikTok app then Google first ask personally to all reviewers. If reviewers are agree to remove their review then Google proceed. If Google want to remove all negative review then Google also allow all fake reviewer for increasing any app rating.

foolmeonce 6y ago

> Google (likely) did something similar for zoom Zoom is a good example of terrible user experience. It won't even summarize the status of your connection and the meeting you are trying to join. If Skype fixed Multi-Party and made it free we would have roasted Microsoft for doing it as poorly as Zoom and Google would have filtered nothing.

randomsearch 6y ago
Bit OT but agree Zoom UX is weird awful. Still, the video works nearly all the time, which I guess is the most important thing.
- triplea9 6y ago
  What specific aspects of the UX would you say are awful? Because at the moment I’d strongly disagree, Zooms UX, along with how easy it is to join meetings, is one of the primary reasons it’s popularity has skyrocketed since the pandemic started. Users find it extremely simple and easy to use.
  - randomsearch 6y ago
    > Users find it extremely simple and easy to use. Anecdotally, I'd disagree with this statement. It seems people pay for it because the video is more reliable than web apps and skype. It's really rather basic stuff: "Schedule" is used as a noun but it can also be a verb, so bad choice of labels. To admit someone to a room I have to bring up the partipants chat. Wtf. When I'm in another application whilst awaiting people to join I have to keep checking, why not a notification and sound when they join? If I'm trying to join a meeting in similar situation, I can't work because there's a window blocking my screen (Mac). The constant suggestions of dial-in audio (wtf) are annoying and confusing. etcetera, ad infinitum. Additional complaints: there is a weird bug that causes audio quality to drop to "tinny phone" levels when using airpods. They fixed it. And now they broke it again. The white balance doesn't work and I can't adjust it... Don't get me wrong, I use it because the video works with groups and doesn't stutter often. But the UX is awful.
6y ago

ketzu 6y ago

afair it's also something steam does for games: after some time remove votes from the accumulated vote when they seem from reviewbombing. https://kotaku.com/valve-says-it-will-remove-off-topic-review-bombs-from-s-1833332643 https://kotaku.com/valve-says-it-will-remove-off-topic-revie... I think the motivation is legitimate as the votes do not reflect the actual app/game.