It really hasn't been Google's week. First the entire internet exploded because of some uninteresting nonsense regarding social networking (really internet?), but today something happened that's actually a bad thing and worth talking about: in Kenya, Google has been caught accessing the databases of a competing business, and offering Google's own product to the people in the database. Google has already apologised, and is currently investigating the matter.
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Member since:2005-07-06
The MAIN POINT to consider here is these were PEOPLE IN KENYA that were responsible. That they happened to work for Google instead of someone else is the red herring. Corruption in Kenya is rampant, and it affects EVERYONE, even Google. If you RTFA, you would see that Google, the parent company, set up the sting that trapped their Kenyan employees who were doing this. So Google IS living up to their motto, even if the odd employee in places of extreme corruption are not.
Member since:2005-07-24
Now, wait a minute. Before I respond to you, I would like to make sure that I understand your argument. IIRC, you are saying that Google (a company for which I have high respect) is not to blame. And that we shouldn't worry about having large amounts of valuable private information stored by them, because the *real* problem is that all those damn niggers in Kenya are corrupt.
Did I get that right? If so, I have some objections to your stance.
Member since:2008-06-03
Assuming the "upper-echelons" at Google knew nothing about this, then I see your point, but that's what happens when you're a big-ass multinational company.
All the interns are probably goody-goody-my-little-pony over at Goog's main HQ, but the same can't be said for staff further from the mothership. "Rogue employees" are everywhere, MS, Apple, Google and they're all trying to make a quick buck. It's the cost of expansion. Sooner or later, the "collective-zaibatsu" mentally dies and the daily salaryman starts worrying about his own ass... human nature.
But at the end of the day, like it or not, the company/corporation should be held responsible regardless. It's their name that was being used in the "scam" and it's the individual(s) they hired that caused it. External forces like the country's corruption index or whether the individual went into debt because of his wife's gambling habits are secondary.
Kind of an unfair generalization here, but imagine if a worker at Bridgestone intentionally let out a malfunctioning tyre, which ends up being the cause of someone's death on the freeway somewhere. Yes, they could track the guy down and even send him to jail, but that doesn't excuse Bridgestone in the least.
Member since:2006-07-17
Member since:2005-08-18
I think that ship sailed long ago.
Only the most gullible and blue-eyed person would ever think that slogan meant anything.
Sure but on the other hand it's impossible to completely prevent abuse. The fact that some idiotic employees did something incredibly stupid doesn't necessarily reflect badly on google the company,
Member since:2005-07-24
Only the most gullible and blue-eyed person would ever think that slogan meant anything.
My eyes are dark brown. But... I'm still just gullible enough to think that Google is doing a damned fine job.
Mon Dieu! The good they do. The quality educational programming they provide. The quality search service they provide. The way they stood up in that face-off against the Chinese government when it would have been much easier, safer, and probably more lucrative to just accede to the demands.
Still, somewhere in the back of my mind, there is an anti-complacency alarm going off regarding the arsenal of data they hold. Maybe nothing to worry about. But no Pollyanna am I. ;-)
-Steve
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Member since:
2005-07-24
Kinda throws a wet blanket on the "Do No Evil" slogan when individuals can exploit that powerful concentration of collected data to do as they please.
I think Google, the company, is pure gold. But Google, the collection of individual employees? That has to be evaluated on a case by case basis.
Fortunately, other than my bank card number, no one could possibly have the slightest interest in my humble life-stream.
I've always found the realization of how unimportant I am to be oddly comforting. I've got plenty of nothing. And nothing's plenty for me.
-Steve