My Google names-policy rant goes global

18 August 2011 in Internet, Only One Name, Privacy by Stilgherrian | Permalink

My expletive-ridden blog post about Google’s fucked-up “real names” policy and their brain-dead implementation has gone global.

While my editor at Crikey commissioned an article, To Google, we are data fodder, and I am an unperson, the story was picked up by an American political blog and linked to by The Wall Street Journal.

The post has been viewed at least 6000 times, probably many more. So far.

I’ve just written a lengthy response to the 127 comments so far. I do think that people who say “It’s only a beta” and “It’s just a bug” and “Well it is a free service” and “What do you expect with a weird name?” have entirely missed the point.

That, too, will probably offend people.

And now my work here is done.

Please add your comments on the original post.

[Photo: Logo from Google Developer Day 2007 by meneame comunicacions, sl, used under a Creative Commons BY-SA license.]

Tags: crikey, google, identity, names

Recent Articles

So how should I cover Budget 2013?

14 May 2013 in Internet, Media, Politics

I’ve commented on Australia’s federal Budget for Crikey every May since Labor took power in 2007. This year will be no exception — but how will I top last year’s rant? Why do politicians and their groupies always go on about the budget “sending a message”? Can’t they just use Twitter, email and the phone [...]
Weekly Wrap 153: Dumb tribalism and a long flight

13 May 2013 in Weekly Wrap

My week Monday 6 to Sunday 12 May 2013 is technically still continuing, because as I write this it’s the start of a beautiful Sunday morning in San Francisco — and I’ve got the day to myself. But it’s already well after midnight Sunday night in Australia, so here we are. Articles You’ll love the [...]
Choosing my next media directions: you’re doing it, OK?

05 May 2013 in Business, Media, Personal, Stilgherrian Live, The 9pm Edict, Weekly Poll

Look, I’ve been thinking about this stuff all week and I can’t decide. So over to you. Scroll down for a Proper Scientific Poll on the Internet! What media stuff would you like me to do? I last wrote about this in January, in Five questions and no answers about my media work. Read that [...]
Weekly Wrap 152: LulzSec, Optus, radio and thinking stuff

05 May 2013 in Weekly Wrap

My week Monday 29 April to Sunday 5 May 2013 began gently, with planning and washing and other chores, and just two articles to write. But by Wednesday night I’d also done four radio spots, washed an infinite number of towels, and eaten most of a sheep. Or so it felt. Then Thursday was full [...]
Talking LulzSec and hacktivism on Triple J’s “Hack”

04 May 2013 in Conversations, Internet, Media, Politics

On Tuesday, Triple J’s current affairs program Hack decided to take a look at hacktivism more generally in the wake of Matthew Flannery’s arrest — and boy was it a shemozzle! I was interviewed for half an hour or more. Also interviewed were independent journalist and “chaos magnet” Asher Wolf, and Nigel Phair from the [...]

Subscribe to feed

Powered by WordPress and Tarski