Comments on: How much should we trust our new information overlords?

By: Kate Towsey

Kate Towsey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:01:08 +0000

What we tend to forget is that the tools these corporations (Facebook, Twitter, Google et al) provide us with are for ‘free’ but, as it often said, nothing comes for nothing. I’m all for fighting to make sure that these companies respect privacy and free speech (and that we can keep enjoying these services as we have been) but I do also realise that they need to pay the bills – how else are they going to do it but for selling our data? It’s the only thing we give them. And, if none of us want to pay for their services, and they go about upsetting governments around the world by supporting anti-social behaviour, even if it’s positively ‘anti-social’ (it’s all the mind of the perceiver as to which is which), then how are they going to survive? I’m not sure that the moral (but not financial) support of the masses and the sales of our data alone will do it.

By: BlueCollarCritic

BlueCollarCritic — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:40:40 +0000

The internet is the last true open, free and most importantly indiscreminate info source. Thanks to it you don;t have to be a billion dollar network to reach people. Regardless of whather you agre with his personal stance or not DRUDGE is proof that the individual can buck the system and win. If the people as a whole continue to act like sheeple, buying whatever excuse the government and big bussiness uses to curtao speech then we deserve to fall back into the dark ages when freedom and liberty were imaginary.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:31:21 +0000

And I dream of a world without assholes like you in it.

By: Exolon

Exolon — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:59:40 +0000

“Thats my personal opinion so fuck you all!”

Brilliant!

By: Douglas Crets

Douglas Crets — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:24:40 +0000

I recommend that you read Rebecca MacKinnon’s work. she’s the best at this, and has been for many years. Her ideas need more of an audience.

By: mfirebrand1

mfirebrand1 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:13:09 +0000

And Creepy!

By: mfirebrand1

mfirebrand1 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:09:15 +0000

Agree.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:11:05 +0000

I find it a little surprising that when Matt says there are few alternatives he mentions Google. Worse, he acts like the’re are no oblternatives. As someone who’s career depends on me finding information scattered in odd pockets of the net, I can tell you Bing/Yahoo is so similar in quality to Google, that I’ll do some searches on both because one will have what I need and the other won’t (with the same search.) Obviously we can get mail, maps, etc. from other sources too. Google is quite replacable.

On another note, Facebook and twitter were so effective in the Arab Spring and Egypt because they were new enough that the establishment hadn’t learned to censor or block them well and technologies for data transfer allowed data in and out of countries without relying solely on standard fiberoptic pipes. Its new methods of information transfer that were important, not specific products.

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:11:04 +0000

Listen guys. YOU should thank your government which is spreading such shit ever since it exists. The US is the biggest thread to the entire planet, messing up economies, creating war after war, telling other nations what to do. The US and their citizins are the rootcause of ALL this shit. And why the citizins? Because after people like Bush, the same level of stupidity is accepted. I dream of a world without the United States. Thats my personal opinion so fuck you all!

Oh, and if you agree with thw above, but are against all this shit as well: sorry, this message was not personal ment for you.

By: Flip TopHead

Flip TopHead — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:06:45 +0000

Screenshot taken just now showing Twitter actively UFing my contact list after I added J28 as my location. UNBELIEVEABLE.