4 ms·

Can we be honest here? This isn't (really) Google's fault, because ANY company in the same position would do the same. It's our fault, for letting them. We co

Can we be honest here? This isn't (really) Google's fault, because ANY company in the same position would do the same. It's our fault, for letting them. We could pass a law preventing this nonsense tomorrow, and Google would have no choice in the matter. However, "we the people" don't have strong advocates fighting for us, while Google has both (very strong) legal and political contributions (ie. bribery) teams ensuring that never happens. The real problem here is that we've ceded our democracy to corporations: blaming Google (or any individual corporation) is missing the real issue. P.S. But, the good news is ... we can always take our democracy back.

otterley 1y ago
This is a completely valid (if perhaps fanciful) perspective; I’m not sure why it’s being downvoted.
int_19h 1y ago
It is still their fault because at the end of the day they choose to do this. Yes, the incentives encourage them to make that choice, but if I offer you a million dollars to murder someone and you do that, you're still responsible for what you did. Now the definition of "their" needs clarification here. Google as a whole cannot be meaningfully morally responsible because it is not an actual person, and as such, not entity that possesses the ability to be moral or immoral in the first place. It's an organization. But all organizations are run by people, and people at the top do have a lot of capacity to make meaningful choices. When they make choices that they do, we can and should hold them morally accountable for them. Meaningful regulation is also good, but, well, consider two societies: one has low rates of property crime because of draconian enforcement, the other because people just choose not to do it despite very little enforcement. Which society is more pleasant to live in?

4 ms·

Can we be honest here? This isn't (really) Google's fault, because ANY company in the same position would do the same. It's our fault, for letting them. We co

by hungryhobbit 1y ago

otterley 1y ago
This is a completely valid (if perhaps fanciful) perspective; I’m not sure why it’s being downvoted.
int_19h 1y ago
It is still their fault because at the end of the day they choose to do this. Yes, the incentives encourage them to make that choice, but if I offer you a million dollars to murder someone and you do that, you're still responsible for what you did. Now the definition of "their" needs clarification here. Google as a whole cannot be meaningfully morally responsible because it is not an actual person, and as such, not entity that possesses the ability to be moral or immoral in the first place. It's an organization. But all organizations are run by people, and people at the top do have a lot of capacity to make meaningful choices. When they make choices that they do, we can and should hold them morally accountable for them. Meaningful regulation is also good, but, well, consider two societies: one has low rates of property crime because of draconian enforcement, the other because people just choose not to do it despite very little enforcement. Which society is more pleasant to live in?