Web freedom faces greatest threat ever, warns Google's Brin
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 16th Apr 2012 08:26 UTC
Internet & Networking "The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the creation of the internet three decades ago are under greater threat than ever, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The threat to the freedom of the internet comes, he claims, from a combination of governments increasingly trying to control access and communication by their citizens, the entertainment industry's attempts to crack down on piracy, and the rise of 'restrictive' walled gardens such as Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can be released on their platforms." That governments - east and west - are trying to destroy the open web, that we know. As for Facebook and Apple... Well, all I know is that it is completely and utterly impossible to check what information Apple has about you. Unlike Google (more here) and to a lesser degree Facebook, Apple provides zero means to see, export, or delete the information they have on you, associated with your Apple ID or otherwise. In 2012, that's just sinister.
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JAlexoid
Member since:
2009-05-19

i don't have a facebook account for a couple of years now, but if i remember correctly there was an option of downloading your entire profile/pictures and commments in html format.

Well guess what? That is long gone. That was a major problem with Facebook, they went from "We play nice with everyone" to "All you base is belong to us".


No, he's complaining that the fall of the "open web" is defined by what google can index or not. Even if that measure is only the reverse of some kind of privacy. Facebook should not be indexed. Nor should any other social network or private foruns.

Don't extrapolate that example to mean the whole. As you said, it's mentioned along with the web censorship so should be taken in that context.
Facebook, however, has grown to be much more than a private forum. Given that you haven't used it, I can imagine that you don't know. Facebook is AOL of the 21st century. There are storefronts and eshops on Facebook. There are whole websites that are 100% Facebook based. When Brin says that Facebook is becoming a closed off sub-web, it's literally true. If that propagates, it's not good for people like you and me that stay away from Facebook as much as possible. If Zuck gets his way, you will have to become a member of this new closed off web.

In the same way, google own services as maps and g+ are not indexable by third party search engines. And yet he doesn't have a problem with this.

A) Actually G+ is indexable by third parties, when the profile is set to public all public posts and public information can be indexed. Though a direct link to the profile needs to be present somewhere for the fist start. A Facebook page is findeable, but none of my public posts are indexable.
B) Maps data isn't owned by Google, so I doubt that they are in a position to allow indexing.

So, yes, Brin is f***ing hypocrite that took the opportunity of this article to take cheapshots at his adversaries. Which is a shame because the actual warnings about the govs and media companies messing with the net are serious and real issues that people should be warned about.

Your use of swearwords degrades the point even further. He has a very valid point,made from a perspective of a person that knows the situation better. See my points above.

PS: I get to know these limitations and issues because I get the chance to assist startups that have brilliant ideas that stretch the limits. Facebook does start to be looking like a closed off ecosystem where only Facebook is allowed to benefit.

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