Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

This is a plain yes or no question, please just give your opinion. Eventually state why you made that choise in a future post (it's up to you whether you want to start a flame war).

Personally I'm not going to argue about anything here, I just want to know if the community in general does consider Google as "the next Microsoft" (a possible threat) or not. It's as simple as that, nonetheless the results will be interesting.

Thanks for the participation, and different opinions are always welcome! Enjoy!


Edit: I forgot to add a poll :o

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

This doesn't belong in General.

Google is a company. It can be neither evil nor good. As a company it has mostly followed policies i consider good, but no company as large as it is can do so indefinitely.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Sorry about that.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

You can edit the post and add a poll now right?

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Once the US Supreme Court said a corporation can be considered equal to a human entity, that opened the door to collective personality traits. ;)

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

No, unfortunately there is no such an option (at least that I'm aware of).

Can you try to create a poll for one of your previous threads, just to see if it works for you? (This would be appreciated)

The poll option disappeared after the first time I posted the opening post. After that I never got another chance...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

I think all of my threads have Polls

hahaha

At least I think I am funny

Well I can't seem to find it, maybe I am crazy? I thought you could do it afterwards?


EDIT

Alright delete the whole thread and make a new one in Off Topic :D:D

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Can I delete a thread (even my own)? Didn't know that... are you sure about that?


Edit: I think I'll just leave it this way, I'm gonna disconnect soon anyway...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Its a sum of + and -. Nobody sees all the + and -. Add to that, 'good' and 'evil' are moral values. Hence truth lies in the eye of the beholder.

In my opinion publicly owned corporations are evil in their roots because of the lack of personal responsibility of those who run it. But that opinion doesn't bring me anywhere.

Another question is, if Google is evil then what is the alternative for Google? Search related wise, Microsoft's Bing? No thanks, I've found Microsoft more immoral in recent years. I'd rather see Google as monopoly than Microsoft. OTOH, 20 years ago many would have preferred a Microsoft monopoly over an IBM monopoly.

My quibble with Google is that all personal data is stored in USA and the privacy laws there suck however again Microsoft Bing wouldn't solve that issue. Using Google, as least evil out of necessity/comfort, yet as less as possible, seems the only practical solution.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

There's always cuil.

:D

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

define evil

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Poll added and thread moved to Off-Topic.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Are you kidding? Companies are run by people, and companies can certainly do some evil stuff to other companies or people.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Look out, it's RoboMaid!

Suck... suck... suck....

Just brace yourselves when she switches from Suck to Blow.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

A corporation, while enjoying some legal rights also afforded to actual people, is not a sentient entity (hence that whole "limited liability thing"). The actions it takes are the result of the actions of people, who may be evil.

It's a semantic quibble, but then the whole thread is a semantic quibble.

Re: Corporations inherently being evil comment. Now that's a topic worth discussion. My take on it is that as defined by the social contract, a corporation is inherently a force for good. The reality is that as soon as you empower a legal "being" (corporation in this case, but no less true for individuals) with rights, it immediately begins to seek for more power/rights. In other words, it is self-seeking.

If corporations were held to the terms of the social contract under which they existed by their host nations, they would be forces for good for said nations. As they are not, they can be quite detrimental.

Let's take an example. A corporation is formed in the US to produce a gadget. By social contract, it exists in order to provide goods and services and jobs to its host country (US). It shifts all its production and service provision to India. It is in violation of its social contract to the US, and should correspondingly lose the freedoms it enjoys as a corporation.

</soapbox>

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

SImply: No, not yet..

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Maybe I wouldn't say it's evil, but I'm avoiding it. To be honest I'm surprised by how much information about themselves people feel comfortable giving to a single (foreign) company. Google has some nice services but do you think they are doing it just to make your life easier? Maybe they don't use my personal data to anything evil (except advertising) right now but just in case, I won't give it to them on a silver plate.

The idea of all my e-mail, phone calls, sms, documents, contacts, purchases, searches, <insert data mining source here> going through Google makes me rush to get out my tinfoil hat which, frankly, I don't use much.

I still use Gmail and Google search, but might switch if I find out some good alternatives.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

@jsa
I think if somebody tries to take google down in their own game it would mean that there are a lot of money involved, so i'd be even more careful trusting them my information.

As of google I really like their apps, because (gmail) gives me usability beyond any other application i have tried to date. And ATM I'm waiting for WAVE, being open standard, to replace the email and create a new gen of email clients.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

With 'in their roots' I meant 'the concept of', 'the principle'. That does not imply their behavior is in every way evil, and philosophically speaking there may not even be inherent evil.

The problem with the indivuduals who take action not being liable (LLC!) still pertains. Why not go back to privately owned corporations instead?

Framework for contracts already exists, on a voluntary basis. We have Red Hat patent license, Trolltech's we-release-Qt-as-BSDL-if-we-go-bankrupt, and a vague Microsoft patent promise. Some of them are contracts, some not...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Definately evil, because currently they play the good uncle, collecting your personal data.
But later, THEY WILL SELL THE DATA (HOW MANY VIAGRA YOU'RE USING) TO THE GOVERNMENT!!!!!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil...

also they abuse amazing mobile devices to collect even more personal data..

if that is not evil....

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

I forgot my pills...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Google started good, but it's tentacles have grown long and greedy. Google, as most large companies, is a psychopath. It's required by law. I call it evil.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Nah, just reminding oneself the Stasi would have loved the data mining our governments currently exercise, and how situations arise where a dictator is democratically elected as was the case not too long ago in the 20th century.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Depends what they do with the recordings :-)

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Seriously, how do you know you're not a terrorist?

Plenty of people have been detained, arrested, charged and sometimes even convicted under anti-terrorism laws for things like writing poetry, going to a conference, walking down the road in a suspicious manner, etc.

It's not *your* definition of terrorist which matters...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

not yet...

but the history tells another story. sadly.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

I really hope google ports their apps to Maemo.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3kyNGVK-hI#t=12m40s :D

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

google app's tempting us to do evils thing!!!! like free phones calls and such, but its too sweet to resist the temptation they lay out for us :p

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

thats the greatest thing i have ever seen :eek:

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Google's greatest contributions to humanity are its least recognized:

1. Froogle
2. Knol
3. Jaiku

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Someone forgot to read the Patriot Acts...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

If froogle is your #1 greatest google contribution to humaniry then why are yu not aware it is now called google product search beta :confused: :d for knol we havve wikipedia i dont know what jaiku is sounds like a nokia subsidiary

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Dude, are you drinking? :D

Anyway, jaiku is a cool, threaded microblogging tool.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Was. Was. Then Google bought them...

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

People aren't good or eviil either.

Unlike people, corporations don't lie awake at night, worrying about what they did.

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Yeah. That's what a few journalists might have thought before their homes were raided and PCs confiscated because their innocent research triggered the wrong words.

Ironically, Google can help you find the cases. :cool:

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

Considering how they solwly erode your human rights away with we need to store this on you and that on you. They are evil. Micros~1 is less so. Atleast Micros~1 makes it plainly obvious they want to rule the world. Google is trying to hide behind the world to rule it.

Just my opinion. /me dons flame ******ant suit

Re: Poll: Is Google evil? (what do YOU think)
 

That pretty much says it all. I agree completely.