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Google CEO Sundar Pichai Testifies before the U.S. Congress

posted by martyb on Wednesday December 12 2018, @02:14PM   
from the LMGTFY dept.

takyon writes:

Google's Sundar Pichai was grilled on privacy, data collection, and China during congressional hearing

Google's CEO testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday where lawmakers grilled him on a wide range of issues, including potential political bias on its platforms, its plans for a censored search app in China and its privacy practices.

This is the first time Pichai has appeared before Congress since Google declined to send him or Alphabet CEO Larry Page to a hearing on foreign election meddling earlier this year. That slight sparked anger among senators who portrayed Google as trying to skirt scrutiny.

[...] Tuesday's hearing was titled "Transparency & Accountability: Examining Google and its Data Collection, Use, and Filtering Practices" and many representatives posed questions on whether or not Google's search results were biased against conservative points of view.

[...] Another topic that came up multiple times was Google's plan to launch a censored search engine in China. The Intercept first reported details of the project over the summer, which would block search results for queries that the Chinese government deemed sensitive, like "human rights" and "student protest" and link users' searches to their personal phone numbers. [...] "Right now, we have no plans to launch search in China," Pichai answered, adding that access to information is "an important human right."

Also at Bloomberg and The Hill.

See also: Sundar Pichai had to explain to Congress why Googling 'idiot' turns up pictures of Trump
Google CEO admits company must better address the spread of conspiracy theories on YouTube
Alex Jones, Roger Stone crash Google CEO hearing
Monopoly man watches disapprovingly as Congress yells at Google's CEO

Previously: Google Plans to Launch Censored Search Engine in China, Leaked Documents Reveal
Uproar at Google after News of Censored China Search App Breaks
"Senior Google Scientist" Resigns over Chinese Search Engine Censorship Project
Google Suppresses Internal Memo About China Censorship; Eric Schmidt Predicts Internet Split
Leaked Transcript Contradicts Google's Denials About Censored Chinese Search Engine
Senators Demand Answers About Google+ Breach; Project Dragonfly Undermines Google's Neutrality

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Original Submission

• Re:Nobody forces you to use Google search Re:Nobody forces you to use Google search (Score: 4, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:25PM (5 children)

  by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:25PM (#773618)

  Goodness Conservapedia is weird.

  The front page I looked at proves reality has a liberal bias, because there's a link to an article "proving" young Earth creationism.

  Weirdos.

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• It's called controlled opposition It's called controlled opposition (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:15PM (4 children)

  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:15PM (#773646)

  Conservatives allow leftists into their conservative clubs on day passes, if only for the sake of an enjoyable argument. Yet, leftists disappear conservatives who wonder too close to leftist hovels.

  That's why the world appears to have a leftist bias; the left purifies its territory and vandalizes their neighbors'.

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  • Re:It's called controlled opposition Re:It's called controlled opposition (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:36PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:36PM (#773656)

    It is called insanity of the minority. You know your world view is outdated and dwindling fast, please cite the occurrences of this genocidal purification and vandalism. I'm sure they will be worth the wait lawl

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    • Re:It's called controlled opposition (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM (#773660)

      Poor Conservatards! Mocked and shamed into silence by their very own stupidity and lack of reason! It would be sad, if it was not so funny!

      Parent

    • Re:It's called controlled opposition Re:It's called controlled opposition (Score: 2) by legont on Thursday December 13 2018, @03:16AM (1 child)

      by legont (4179) on Thursday December 13 2018, @03:16AM (#773864)

      This is asymmetry, and the most vivid example I've seen was in Taleb's book:

      While some believe that the average Pole was complicit in the liquidation of Jews, the historian Peter Fritzsche, when asked, “Why didn’t the Poles in Warsaw help their Jewish neighbors more?,” responded that they generally did. But it took seven or eight Poles to help one Jew. It took only one Pole, acting as an informer, to turn in a dozen Jews.

      https://philosophiatopics.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/skin-in-the-game-nassim-nicholas-taleb.pdf [wordpress.com]

      The conclusion? One can not be tolerant with intolerant; she will lose. Intolerant have to be removed - all of them.

      --
      "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.

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      • Ah. Woe to leftists when conservatives figure out (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 13 2018, @08:15PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 13 2018, @08:15PM (#774114)

        As you explain, there is no room for the leftist intolerance.

        Parent