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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
(Score: 5, Interesting) by DannyB on Wednesday December 12 2018, @02:59PM (14 children)
Anyone is free to use any other search engine.
Also anyone can build their own search engine. A similar thing happened when Wikipedia was affected by the fact that reality has a liberal bias. The result was Conservapedia. [conservapedia.com] Nothing is stopping anyone from building a search engine that scours the web and creates search results that DO NOT reflect what is actually out there on the web but reflects a POV instead.
As I understand it, Google's search:
* is what exists on the web
* reflects YOUR interests
* is somewhat affected by popularity
It seems that at least some in congress believe there is a human that vets every web site or search result somehow. What are these people smoking? (now that cannabis is legal in DC)
To not realize that Google and Apple are competitors is to be seriously out of touch. But that seems to be the norm for politicians, and ESPECIALLY this administration.
Hey, here is an idea! Create a new Government search engine! Call it The Ministry Of Truth! It would be Fair And Balanced!
No, really!
Yes, really!
I also find the hypocrisy astounding that the right wing against government regulation and against protecting net neutrality are foaming at the mouth to regulate Google. Why can't they just go pick on Facebook who uses PHP?
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @03:13PM (3 children)
Gangs of liberals roam Wikipedia, because that's what you do when you're unemployed and otherwise worthless to society.
Cities have liberal politics, because they have liberal populations (one man one vote), because layabouts clamoring for handouts must follow the money like groupies follow the rockstars.
That is, productivity has a conservative bias; loud, resource-intensive whining has a liberal bias (prove it by downmodding my perfectly commensurate reply).
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:17PM (2 children)
Bzzzzzzzzzzzt.
The correct answer is: Social Media Influencer.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 13 2018, @02:36AM
If you're ugly or antisocial you probably can't be one.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 13 2018, @06:12AM
Well, it got modded Flamebait, but Wikipedia does have a problem. And it is not that it has liberal bias.
Reality also doesn't have liberal bias. That's a shitty statement meant to make young-ones feel good about themselves because they don't know anything about the real world to form their own opinions.
Wikipedia has a power bias. There is enough documentary evidence to show. For this reason it has more articles about Pokemon than probability. Because actual scientists hold less sway in the offline world than Nintendo. It is also why when it comes to social sciences (which are in my opinion have lost all reasons to be called science) there is a European bias, and feminist bias.
Interestingly, the neither scientists nor non-English speaking non-Europeans nor normal people have absolutely any interest in giving any credence to Wikipedia, so there is 100% control of those forces on it. But conservatives, specially American conservatives, have a huge interest in usurping the liberal power structure so they fight it out. Hence there are edit-wars on global climate change, history of civil war and feminist jurisprudence, but not on dark matter, history of Asia or male incarceration rates.
If you, like me, sit on the fence you don't edit wikipedia, you just read about pokemon and other fictional things on it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @03:19PM
My state forces me to slavery for google, having to work as a human classifier in order to get a driving license.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @05:29PM
Gangs of liberals roam Wikipedia, because that's what you do when you're unemployed and otherwise worthless to society.
Cities have liberal politics, because they have liberal populations (one man one vote), because layabouts clamoring for handouts must follow the money like groupies follow the rockstars.
That is, productivity has a conservative bias; loud, resource-intensive whining has a liberal bias (prove it by downmodding my perfectly commensurate reply).
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @06:43PM
Gangs of liberals roam Wikipedia, because that's what you do when you're unemployed and otherwise worthless to society.
Cities have liberal politics, because they have liberal populations (one man one vote), because layabouts clamoring for handouts must follow the money like groupies follow the rockstars.
That is, productivity has a conservative bias; loud, resource-intensive whining has a liberal bias (prove it by downmodding my perfectly commensurate reply).
(Score: 4, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:25PM (5 children)
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.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:15PM (4 children)
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'.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:36PM (3 children)
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
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @08:41PM
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!
(Score: 2) by legont on Thursday December 13 2018, @03:16AM (1 child)
This is asymmetry, and the most vivid example I've seen was in Taleb's book:
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.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 13 2018, @08:15PM
As you explain, there is no room for the leftist intolerance.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 13 2018, @04:52AM
I thought this administration was supposed to have out-teched the others during the election using data to manipulate people.