4 ms·

I'm sorry that you were oblivious to this, but their job is to track and monetize anything they can unless it's explicitly outlawed. Even then, Alphabet breaks

by eukara 4y ago

I'm sorry that you were oblivious to this, but their job is to track and monetize anything they can unless it's explicitly outlawed. Even then, Alphabet breaks the rules (namely of the EU) all the time as they seem to be content with paying fines on a regular basis. https://www.wired.com/story/eu-hits-google-third-billion-dollar-fine-so-what/ https://www.wired.com/story/eu-hits-google-third-billion-dol...

jacquesm 4y ago
The EU should add a zero to their fines. That will surely get some attention.
- trimethylpurine 4y ago
  If they added a zero then Google would stop and then they couldn't fine them anymore. It seems you mistakenly thought that punishment was meant to dissuade bad actors. That's not how government works. Punishment is meant for politicians to profit from bad actors.
- eternityforest 4y ago
  Could Google or anyone else still provide the service they do without tracking? Would it be profitable enough to keep doing it? What would actually happen for users if they added a zero? Would poor people be SOL if they want high quality maps?
  - jacquesm 4y ago
    Of course they could. But it's an arms race and if one party breaks the pact it would start all over again.
  - justsomehnguy 4y ago
    Somehow ad networks worked fine before Android and Chrome supplying everything they can to the company.
    - eternityforest 4y ago
      They did seem to work perfectly well, and the ad targeting was not much worse(Half the ads now are random startup gadgets I don't want). But what about stuff like Google Assistant? Seems like Google does a lot that doesn't serve ads, so I assume it must be either to sell their hardware or to spy. Are the hardware sales alone worth it to a CEO?
      - justsomehnguy 4y ago
        > Google does a lot that doesn't serve ads Eh? Google Assistant is the quickest shortcut so serve you an ad, but also can do your calendar. > Are the hardware sales alone No way, especially the Google branded ones. But the ability to shoehorn it's ads on almost every device - is priceless. Don't forget, the Android smartphones are practically useless without Play Store and every Play Store install not only allows you to install apps, but: links the device with your account (so any data explicitly known to come from this device is now can be correlated with you) sends your location data provides the way for you to spend the money, including RL servers as a giant ad sink - every freemium game/app there has the ads from... you know whom?
        eternityforest 4y ago
        Most of their stuff doesn't directly serve ads, I don't remember ever seeing one on Google Assistant or in Gmail. They seem to mostly just exist to do tracking to enhance the stuff that does do ads, or to add value to some other thing that shows them, but they're not directly ad supported, they're tracking supported or pure promotions.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

by eukara 4y ago

jacquesm 4y ago

The EU should add a zero to their fines. That will surely get some attention.

trimethylpurine 4y ago
If they added a zero then Google would stop and then they couldn't fine them anymore. It seems you mistakenly thought that punishment was meant to dissuade bad actors. That's not how government works. Punishment is meant for politicians to profit from bad actors.
eternityforest 4y ago
Could Google or anyone else still provide the service they do without tracking? Would it be profitable enough to keep doing it? What would actually happen for users if they added a zero? Would poor people be SOL if they want high quality maps?
- jacquesm 4y ago
  Of course they could. But it's an arms race and if one party breaks the pact it would start all over again.
- justsomehnguy 4y ago
  Somehow ad networks worked fine before Android and Chrome supplying everything they can to the company.
  - eternityforest 4y ago
    They did seem to work perfectly well, and the ad targeting was not much worse(Half the ads now are random startup gadgets I don't want). But what about stuff like Google Assistant? Seems like Google does a lot that doesn't serve ads, so I assume it must be either to sell their hardware or to spy. Are the hardware sales alone worth it to a CEO?
    - justsomehnguy 4y ago
      > Google does a lot that doesn't serve ads Eh? Google Assistant is the quickest shortcut so serve you an ad, but also can do your calendar. > Are the hardware sales alone No way, especially the Google branded ones. But the ability to shoehorn it's ads on almost every device - is priceless. Don't forget, the Android smartphones are practically useless without Play Store and every Play Store install not only allows you to install apps, but: links the device with your account (so any data explicitly known to come from this device is now can be correlated with you) sends your location data provides the way for you to spend the money, including RL servers as a giant ad sink - every freemium game/app there has the ads from... you know whom?
      - eternityforest 4y ago
        Most of their stuff doesn't directly serve ads, I don't remember ever seeing one on Google Assistant or in Gmail. They seem to mostly just exist to do tracking to enhance the stuff that does do ads, or to add value to some other thing that shows them, but they're not directly ad supported, they're tracking supported or pure promotions.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]