[subego]

Spinoff of the Google Nest thread.

Topolsky had a good one on the Vergecast. The guest said "Google knows everything about me, that makes me scared."

Topolsky asked "what are those things about you that you don't want Google to know? Start listing them for us."


The gag, of course, is she wanted to keep those things private, but I want people to challenge themselves about what is being served by you keeping things private.

For me, the only obvious thing which jumps to mind is my humor. It's tailored to the audience, and one audience is very different from another. A common construction I'll use is unexpected, over-the-top racism. This only works if the person knows you aren't particularly racist, and more importantly, is self aware enough to be cognizant of their own racism. If I'm not assured of these things, then it's no longer a joke, so not something I have any desire to do.

Other stuff? You know, there'd be a little discomfort on some things, but I'm sure I'd survive. Some people may not see me the same, or view me negatively, but I'd put money on a greater amount of people feeling more connected to me, and vice-versa.


I think things should warm up a bit first, but it's likely this thread will involve sharing heretofore private things. If you're worried about TMI, bail right now.

[Laminar]

*shifts uncomfortably in seat*

[subego]

See?

Now Laminar can learn lots of people have that problem, and there's ointment he can get for it.

[andi*pandi]

income, purchase history, medical history, family history... whatever.

I'm totally cool with google knowing stuff I post here though.

[subego]

How are you served by keeping those things private?

I can see income if you're getting more than your coworkers for the same workload.

Medical if you're keeping stuff from your insurance company.

Your purchase history is actually worth something, so I could see keeping it private with the intent to sell. Are you thinking more along the lines of embarrassing ointments?

Family history... like Babcia came over on the boat in 1922 history?



I think I should say this thread will likely involve questions to which the answer is "none of your frigging business". This is an acceptable response.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Are you thinking more along the lines of embarrassing ointments?

Say that word one more time and he'll show up.

[Shaddim]

I don't want them knowing my business notes and product ideas (many of which are in their area of expertise, and I could be working on with their competitors).

[ort888]

It's not having my data that really bothers me about Google. It's the way they are so aggressively moving into every tech market.

I don't want to have one company in charge of making my web browser, making my phone, making my phone OS, selling my shows and music, making my productivity software, making my map system, controlling my calendar, controlling contacts, providing my internet, providing my television, making my computer, making my computer OS, making my social network, making my email, making a computer I strap to my face, making my self driving car, controlling the temperature of my house, making my robot butler, sending up balloons into the sky to provide internet, making technology to make us live forever, and sexbots.

And the big problem is that their offerings in almost everything are FREE. How can other companies compete with FREE? How is the next __________ company going to make a competitve product when they are competing with Google who has thousands of amazing employees, billions of dollars and is doing it all for FREE?

You can't. What happens when most of these moonshot projects mature and become dominant? Google will control literally EVERYTHING and no one else will stand a chance. Who can compete with a company that makes good products and gives them all away for free?

People say Apple wants to control everything, but Google is 100 times worse. Apple wants to control everything on their little corner of the world. Google literally wants to control EVERYTHING. If all of Google's plans come together like it looks they might, Google is going to make the Microsoft of the 90s look like a mom 'n pop operation.

Who wants to live in a world where google controls EVERYTHING?

[Phileas]

I don't think google want's to control everything. Google wants to know everything.

I still think that, at their heart of hearts, google is a company that wants to Do Good and is vaguely surprised that people don't see it that way.

[ort888]

The problem is that the learn everything by making every product and giving it away for free. It's going to devastate the competitive landscape in the tech world.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I don't want them knowing my business notes and product ideas (many of which are in their area of expertise, and I could be working on with their competitors).

Business definitely has privacy needs.

Sometimes it doesn't however. In the arts, some people guard their techniques, and some are very open.

I am, and prefer, the latter.

Of course, art's not a particularly cutthroat business. When you (allegedly) are doing work for a Korean zaibatsu, things are different.

[Phileas]

I am not all that concerned about sharing how we do business, I frequently get to lecture on it, but our clients see it differently. It's really hard to get them to agree to be the real world example that pulls it all together.

Copying is harder, much harder, than people think it is, especially if it is done well.

[subego]

Clients don't want you talking?

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Say that word one more time and he'll show up.

In an attempt to make my overuse worse, I discovered liniment is more or less the same thing, but with a Latin root. The other seems rooted in anoint, which I'm guessing is Greek.

I love how English will just take any given language into the back alley and roll them for words.

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by subego 

Clients don't want you talking?

I frequently get invited to guest lecture at universities in and around Toronto. It started as a favour for a friend, but word got around amongst profs (who are always looking for industry speakers) and now it's at a point where I have to limit it to once or twice a month.

It's easy for me to talk about the stuff we believe in, but using real world examples, and results, makes for a more compelling lecture, especially when teaching an MBA course. Few of our clients allow me to use their business for that purpose.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Say that word one more time and he'll show up.

"Prolapse. Prolapse. Prolapse."

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

Business definitely has privacy needs.

Sometimes it doesn't however.

I'd rather Google not know about it, or anyone else actually. At least not until I sell it, then I can be like, "Oh shit, check this out!" and then they go, "Fuuuuuuuuuggg, why didn't we do that?"

[mattyb]

There is the feeling that X or Y will be able to find something, anything that can be used as leverage against you. I'm sure there are people on this earth that might make use of the facts that I have access to military technology and that I have 2 kids.

[ghporter]

Google knows my search habits. This should be enough to screw up their aggregation algorithms, since I search for some widely disparate stuff: medical, mechanical, electronic, music and movies... And often, to get background on something someone's told me, I'll research even more out-there subjects.

Since they already know that I've shopped (if not necessarily bought from) places like LightInTheBox, Adam & Eve, and Vape City, there ain't much to keep hidden from them. Of course a few oddball places I've shopped have been due to really random Google Ads, so they know that, too.

I agree that medical history (including current history), legal issues, and family concerns would make me uncomfortable in Google's hands. Imagine getting combined ads from Google for (random examples here) Preparation H, Viagra, probate and copyright lawyers, and couples counseling, all at once...

[MacGirl80]

I think I'm pretty open.
I feel increasingly uncomfortable about how far Google is going in its quest for world domination, but that uncomfortable-ness can be cured with some liniment. Because I love that word. I just didn't realise it until now.

[andi*pandi]

the more they know about me, the better they can make my clone robot to take my place.

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

the more they know about me, the better they can make my clone robot to take my place.

I wonder. If google actually did replace people with robots whose personality was based entirely on the info the gleaned from their internet searches etc how massively different most of those robots would actually be from the people they replaced.

[ort888]

All my clone would talk about would be submissive little people who are into watersports.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Say that word one more time and he'll show up.

Hi sweetie!