Google and Water: Hey, It Is Unlimited, Right?
March 16, 2026
How many times have I iterated that Google promises to do no harm yet it continues to think of the bottom line over the good of humanity. The Columbus Free Press reports, “Google’s Columbus Data Center Secrets Exposed.” Ohio power brokers foresaw that big businesses would come to the region seeking to use the vast supplies of water. The water is distributed through an aquifer that is now being monopolized by Google to cool its data center. Here’s how much water Google is using:
“According to Google, the Far South Side data center used 177 million gallons in 2024 when it was just coming online. Its data center in Lancaster took 207 million gallons that year and in New Albany, 405 million. Of Ohio’s 200-plus data centers, roughly 130 are in Central Ohio.”
Also an immense steam cloud is hanging out above Google’s Fart South Side data center. It’s not far from residential neighborhoods and a casino. And what about the steam cloud? Does it contain something like forever chemicals or pollutants that last as long as Google’s cookies on my computer? Google responded with assurances about caring about the Columbus neighborhood and climate change.
Is Columbus’ concerns an outlier? Will Google care? Sure. It will care enough to let loose a flight of legal eagles and some PR hawks to help residents of Columbus understand the “truth” about water.
Whitney Grace, March 16, 2026
CD? Ignore That, Big Tech AI
February 27, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I try to filter the Epstein Epstein Epstein just as I try to block the AI AI AI. However, one of the people on my team showed me this write up: “AIs Can Generate Near-Verbatim Copies of Novels from Training Data.” I am not surprised that a big time US big tech AI system would spit out text from a source. These companies struck me as outfits that were going to ingest content and let the lawyers run interference. Publishers and individual authors usually lack the fleets of legal eagles available to big tech outfits.
Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough.
Furthermore, I am not surprised that some people are surprised that these smart software systems are stupid enough to output content that clearly illustrates that their marvels appear to surf on other people’s creative work. Why do I have this view? Before I stepped away from the work fray, I bounced in and out of some Silicon Valley entities. Heck, I worked at one for several years. I was involved in a couple of zippy start ups and heard people on the team make clear that if something could be done, just do it. “They” won’t figure it out for a long time. The “they”, of course, was users, regulators, law enforcement, morality watch dogs, and moms.
I assume that the author of the article is not aware that some of the big tech outfits are complaining that other big tech outfits are pirating their systems and methods. Yep, the outfits that just took other people’s work are squawking that a big tech company has the unmitigated gall to use another big tech firm’s intellectual property.
My term for this behavior is cynical duplicity. Its characteristics are:
- Move fast, break things. Reason: Chaos destabilizes and makes meaningful responses quite difficult
- Just take it. Reason: Most people don’t know that a well crafted or even a crappy crawler can suck down a lot of data quickly. By the time the source figures out that the data are gone, the data are — well, what do you think? — gone.
- Sue people who break the law. Reason: Money buys lawyers. Lawyers, many times, just do what the client wants. The entity with the most time and money wins. Period.
How do I know cynical duplicity is operating? Check out these headlines and stories:
- Anthropic says Deepseek, Moonshot, and MiniMax used 24,000 fake accounts to rip off Claude
- Google Blocks Antigravity for OpenClaw-Linked AI Ultra Users, Cites “Malicious Usage”
- OpenAI Claims Deepseek Distilled US Models to Gain an Edge
Note: I pulled these headlines from Bing News. If the urls 404, contact the estimable Microsoft, not me.
As a dinobaby, I think the focus of the story about smart software spitting out novels is interesting. However, I think the CD or cynical duplicity is the significant aspect of how big tech AI outfits conduct themselves.
Stephen E Arnold, February 27, 2026
Europe Is Likely to Try a Social Media Slow Down
February 23, 2026
There’s a growing trend in western countries to ban social media for the younger crowd. Why? It’s apparently detrimental to kids’ development. Greece, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, and Spain are among the European countries looking to ban social media for their younger citizens. Gizmodo has the scoop in the article: “Countries Across Europe Take Action To Ban Social Media For Minors.”
These countries aren’t alone as Portugal, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and France are aware of the harmful implications that social media has. European leaders want to limit exposure to social media for growing minds because of potential dangers it does to cognitive development, growing mental aliments and “stranger danger” threats.
The European Union kicked off a social media ban for their youth after Australia implemented its own ban for kids under sixteen. No TikTok, Facebook, Reddit, etc, for them. Here’s the reasoning:
“A jumping-off point for the Australian ban was American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Anxious Generation,” which argues that the overwhelming presence of social media in the critical developmental stages of puberty has fundamentally rewired the brains of those born after 1995. Social media addiction among children and teens has been linked to higher feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorders, body image issues and poor sleep quality. Many regulators are also increasingly worried about unchecked cyberbullying. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report last month linking prolonged digital media use with language delays, anger issues, weaker cognition and even increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, and asked tech companies and the government to put strict guardrails in place that prohibit harmful social media design features like user profiling, autoplay and algorithmic recommender systems.”
US Technology companies don’t like this because this hurts their bottom line. Also technology is an important factor in Trump’s economic and development plan for the country. Is Europe engaged in some type of extortion scam aimed at estimable US companies? Europe, according to some enlightened US thinkers, is out of step with the need to go fast with AI. Those benighted EU people need to get with the program; otherwise, their children may lack the benefits of American social media; for example, body shaming, disruption of attention, and failure to master basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. The US is the future.
Whitney Grace, February 23, 2026
Has Japan Caught the Ka-Ching Cash Register Bug?
February 19, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I just caught up on my news. Tucked into the list was an interesting write up with an international spin: “A Coalition of 600-Plus Companies in Japan Wants More Regulatory Action against Apple and Google.” Doesn’t Japan know that the US is busy regulating big tech? Apparently not or the actions taken have not addressed some of the allegations leveled at these exemplary American firms.
The write up states:
Last December Apple announced changes impacting iOS apps in Japan to comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA). However they’re apparently not enough for a coalition representing more than 600 local companies is calling for further regulatory action….However, seven IT-related industry groups, including the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, released a joint statement on Thursday calling on Apple and Google to swiftly eliminate new commissions imposed on app companies, reports The Japan News. The groups said the burden of the commissions is so heavy that directing users to external sites for payment “has not become a viable option.”
The article points out:
According to The Japan Times, they also argued that in the U.S., similar payment methods are offered free of charge. The groups accused Apple and Google of placing Japan’s consumers and businesses at a disadvantage compared to ones in the United States.
Several thoughts crossed my mind:
- Has Japan caught the EU’s ka-ching cash register bug? The idea is that suing US big tech firms can produce cash which can be collected once the endless appeals have been exhausted.
- Is Apple consciously discriminating against Japanese professionals? If so, why?
- Is this matter another example of Apple’s flagging management control? I ask this question because Siri is a no show again. What’s up with getting the management cart seeming unable to pull stuff from the orchard?
I don’t think too much about Apple. But maybe I should pay attention?
Stephen E Arnold, February 19, 226
The EU Oils Its Cash Register for 2026 Action: Meta Is at Bat
February 17, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
“Commission Notifies Meta of Possible Interim Measures to Reverse Exclusion of Third-Party AI Assistants from WhatsApp” signals the Zuck that check writing may be something to put on his calendar. The EU statement says:
The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Meta, setting out its preliminary view that Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) assistants from accessing and interacting with users on WhatsApp. Meta’s conduct risks blocking competitors from entering or expanding in the rapidly growing market for AI assistants. The Commission therefore intends to impose interim measures to prevent this policy change from causing serious and irreparable harm on the market, subject to Meta’s reply and rights of defense.
What’s interesting is the statement “intends to impose interim measures”. The EU tends to move slowly as opposed to one major country’s sending elected official home for a vacay. I interpret this statement to mean: Zuck, things are just going to happen. Buckle up, buddy.
EU professionals enjoy reading documents describing alleged criminal activities. Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough.
The short announcement includes a graphic. To be honest, I am not sure if this art has been produced by smart software. Also, I am not sure I understand how the flipping of a red arrow to a green arrow will work. But I am a dinobaby, and I simply cannot understand some things. My view is to ring up certain known Internet service providers and some of those “ghost ISPs” and mandate aggressive filtering. The ISPs will squawk, but the EU litigation can create some financial pressure for certain outfits. My hunch is that certain judiciary units might want to do some on-site investigations too.
I am not sure if Meta’s legal eagles can remediate such direct actions at the service firms between a WhatsApp user and Meta. Certain countries are likely to be more enthusiastic about altering Meta’s behavior. But the EU’s signal is clear:
If the Commission concludes, after the parties have exercised their rights of defense, that the conditions for interim measures are met, it can adopt a decision imposing such measures. The adoption of an interim measures’ decision does not prejudge the final findings of the Commission on the substance of the case.
France has demonstrated that even iconic services can be spray painted dull gray. Is WhatsApp facilitating certain types of behavior the EU might find objectionable beyond the blocking of competitive smart software? I would suggest that this AI wrapping hides what’s in a box of alleged infractions facilitated by Meta / Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
My view is that France’s direct action against Pavel Durov may have been a useful example for some EU professionals. Furthermore, I think the EU has a short list of American big tech companies to examine with renewed vigor in the new year. Will the US firms care? Nope or at least until a significant revenue hit takes place. I predict that 2026 will be a bounteous year for legal eagles involved in US big tech, AI, and social media matters.
Stephen E Arnold, February 17, 2026
Big Tech and Age Verification: Now What, People?
February 12, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I have a couple of people on my team who reacted in an interesting way to this question: “How long would it take you to get around the age verification required in Australia?” Howard, just snorted. Stuart thought a moment and said, “A couple of minutes, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less.” My team is not in its teens. But I know that there are some pre-teens, teens, and teens going on 28 years old who know how to subvert age verification systems.
Proud parents watch as Bill creates a social media account for Timmy, his younger brother. Mom and dad watch with pride because the siblings are interacting in a positive manner. Thanks, ChatGPT, good enough.
How many of these can you work around?
- ID via facial recognition using one’s real face just aged or use an older sibling’s face
- Use an adult’s user name and password
- Create alias accounts with new emails
- Rely on VPNs and related methods
- Pay an older person to register and set up an account.
Three separate news reports suggest that the US big tech outfits and outfits like Telegram will have to find a way to implement age verification systems that mostly work and don’t violate other laws. Otherwise, certain firms will lose access to customers in France, Greece, and Spain. These countries probably have a regulator or two eager to fine the US social media companies, go through the legal processes, issue fines, and then check their bank accounts. Deposits in the tens or hundreds of millions in dollars or other fiat currency are easy to spot.
Here are the three reports:
VPNs are next on my list – France set to evaluate VPN use following social media ban for under-15s
Greece to soon announce social media ban for children under 15, government source says
Spain, Greece weigh teen social media bans, drawing fury from Elon Musk
My team and I think that other countries in the EU will jump on the bandwagon. I am not sure the mental health of those under 16 is the only motivation for this requirement. Anti-US big tech sentiment reaches me in rural Kentucky. My hunch is that it extends to Silicon Valley as well. A crusade against the US may become a way to win re-election or snag a lucrative advisory job in some countries. Plus, there is what I called the “Kaching factor.” That’s the notional sound of issuing a big fine and ringing the cash register for the regulator bring an action against a US company.
If the age verification movement gains steam, the US social media companies will have to do some actual innovation in their age verification departments. Solutions to this problem are fraught with booby traps. These range from ease of use to security issues. Also, US big tech companies don’t want to lose access to these youthful users. Translation: The ad dollars are too significant.
Observing how the US tech companies respond will be fascinating. I look forward to verbal statements, legal battles, and direct violations. My view is that there is no perfect fix, just rising risk and costs. With everyone embracing AI, why not just use smart software. Yeah, that will work.
Stephen E Arnold, February 12, 2026
Mr. Musk, Ms. Yaccarino, Meet JUNALCO. Have a Nice Chat
February 4, 2026
![green-dino_thumb_thumb[3]](https://www.arnoldit.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/green-dino_thumb_thumb3.gif "green-dino_thumb_thumb[3]")
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
Elon Musk and his former CEO Linda Yaccarino may have to make a trip to Paris in the spring. The reason? The duo have a date with JUNALCO. So what’s a “JUNALCO.” In French it is Juridiction nationale de lutte contre la criminalité organisée. The translation is in my rusty French something like France’s national prosecutors for organized crime, cybercrime, and complex transnational cases. If I think in terms of the US judicial and law enforcement set up, JUNALCO is a mix of special police (for instance, cyber investigators), the FBI, and a couple of offices of the State Department.
Getting caught in the French government’s legal processes is a problem for non-citizens. France is wired into other law enforcement organizations and the transnational folks as well. Non-citizens can “ignore” French legal requests and let their lawyers rack up big bills while catching some decent meals as the French legal processes move forward.
Two figures waiting in the rain for the French authorities to let them into the government building. Ah, Paris in the spring. Thanks, Venice.ai. Your French is worse than mine. It is “judiciaire,” not jiujicade. Sigh.
But if the person or persons ignore the French request, the French government is quite good at paperwork. A quick change at one of France’s airport en route to another destination could become an opportunity to spend some time with Border Police (PAF) and Customs (Douanes). At airports or any border crossing, these officials have wide discretionary powers. Computers make it easy to ID and chat with those on a watch list. In France, detention does not require an arrest warrant.
Who cares about this JUNALCO stuff? Answer: Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino do.
“Paris Prosecutors Raid France Offices of Elon Musk’s X” reports:
Police specializing in combating cyber-crime, assisted by Europol, have raided the offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, in France. The Paris prosecutor said it related to an investigation into the content recommended by X’s algorithm, which had subsequently been widened to include its controversial AI chatbot, Grok. The prosecutor’s office added both Musk and former X chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino had been summoned to appear at hearings in April as part of its probe.
France to most people means good food, nice architecture, and wonderful shopping. To those snagged in its bureaucratic processes France means home of the EU’s most overcrowded prison, Byzantine legal processes, and time… lots of time. Attorneys understand time and how to use it.
The question becomes, “Why target X.com, Elon, and the former CEO Linda, the ad sales expert?”
The answer is, “France has a case.”
JUNALCO does not take action with Europol along for the ride unless it has, in JUNALCO’s view, a very solid case against what France perceives as a very bad actor. The head of the Paris prosecutor’s office, in my experience, is not going to be moved by the wealth, power, rocket ships, and robots. Nope. X.com is on the JUNALCO spring agenda.
I would suggest that:
- This is serious: The raid, the summons, and the direct involvement of Europol
- Two executives means separate “interviews” and a real life prisoner’s dilemma for Mr. Musk. This is pressure geometry
- Refusal to appear means future risks and probably issues in other countries. Change planes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the possibility exists that Mr. Musk or Ms. Yaccarino could be picked up and whisked to Paris
- France is the pointed end of the stick for certain major cyber crime actions in Western Europe.
What happens if Mr. Musk or Ms. Yaccarino is held for interrogation? Mr. Musk and/or Ms Yaccarino’s French attorneys will work with the duo’s American attorneys to contact the US embassy. Will that online form for assistance requests be acted upon promptly? One hopes.
This is a now, tomorrow, and future problem. As Simon and Garfunkel wrote:
April, come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with pain
Ooops. Sorry. I meant “rain,” not “pain.” My bad.
Stephen E Arnold, February 4, 2026
Google Will Not Change; the EU Will Not Change; Writing Checks to the EU Will Not Change
January 28, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
I suppose one could summarize the information in “Commission Opens Proceedings to Assist Google in Complying with Interoperability and Online Search Data Sharing Obligations under the Digital Markets Act” with a new mobile number for these types of complaints: +1 800 YOU WISH.
Two EU professionals look at a facility. Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough.
My hunch is that Google will email the legal document to its legal eagles. Leadership at Google does not do legal paperwork. The company is busy inventing the future with its quantumly supreme technology. Let’s look at what the EU’s media office says about the online advertising outfit with smart software and even smarter people:
the European Commission has started two sets of specification proceedings to assist Google in complying with its obligations under the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA’). The specification proceedings formalize the Commission’s regulatory dialogue with Google on certain areas of its compliance with two DMA obligations.
Two violations for Googzilla. First, the company allegedly is not making life easy enough for Android developers. Second, the Google is not providing access to search data.
I am a dinobaby. I live in rural Kentucky. From my point of view, this is similar to the government Lilliput demanding that France ship the Mona Lisa for an exhibition in the Lilliputian National Art Gallery. Sorry, won’t happen. France will just plug along being France.
The EU will work on this matter for several months and then let the Google know what’s up. Is this a surprise the the leadership or the legal eagles at Google? Perhaps. The Google has only known about this matter since September 2023.
What will happen now? Google will allow its legal eagles to flap and bill. Then the EU will respond. Then there will be outputs from Google. Then the EU will find Google a less than willing party to this matter. Google will appeal. Eventually Google will write a check. But what will happen in the meantime? My view is that Google will continue to be Googley. The approach has worked well for the last 25 years.
The EU might want to rethink its system and method. It seems to be flummoxed by Googzilla’s. Just a thought.
Stephen E Arnold, January 27, 2026
AI Stress Cracks: Immaturity Bubbles Visible from Afar
January 28, 2026
Those images of Kilauea’s lava spouting, dribbling, and sputtering are reminders of the molten core within Mother Earth. Has Mom influenced the inner heat of great big technology leaders? Probably not, but after looking at videos of the most recent lava events in Hawaii, I read “Billionaires Elon Musk and Sam Altman Explode in Ugly Online Fight over Whose Tech Killed More People.”
The write up says:
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fired back at Elon Musk on Tuesday [January 20, 2025] after Musk posted on X warning people not to use ChatGPT, linking it to nine suicide deaths. Altman called out Musk’s claim as misleading and flipped the criticism back, pointing to Tesla’s Autopilot, which has been linked to more than 50 deaths.
A Vietnam era body count. Robert McNamara, as Secdef, liked metrics. Body counts were just one way to measure efficiency and effectiveness. Like an employee’s incentive plans, the body counts reflected remarkable achievements on the battlefield. Were there bodies to count? As I recall, it depended on a number of factors. I won’t go there. The bodycount numbers were important. The bodies often not so much.
Now we have two titans of big tech engaging in bodycounting.
Consider this passage from the cited write up:
The feud comes as Musk sues OpenAI, claiming the company abandoned its nonprofit mission. Musk is reportedly seeking up to $134 billion in damages. The timing of the spat comes amid heightened scrutiny of AI safety globally.
The issues are [a] litigation, [b] big money, and [c] AI safety. One could probably pick any or all three as motivations for the Vietnam era bodycounts.
The write up does not chase the idea about the reason that I considered. These two titans of big tech and the “next big thing” used to be pals and partners. The OpenAI construct was a product of the interaction of these pals and partners. Then the two big tech titans were not pals and partners.
Here we are: [a] litigation, [b] big moneys, and [c] AI (safety is an add on to AI). I think we have a few other drivers for this “ugly online fight.” I don’t think the bodycount is much more than a PR trope. I am yet to be convinced that big tech titans do not think about people not germane to their mission: Amassing power and money.
My view is that we are witnessing Mother Nature’s influence. These estimable titans are volcanos in big tech. They are, in my opinion as a dinobaby, spouting, dribbling, and sputtering. Kilauea is what might be called a mature volcano. Can one say that these titans are mature? I am not so sure.
Could this bodycount thing be a version of a grade school playground spat with the stakes being a little bit higher? Your mileage may vary.
Stephen E Arnold, January 26, 2026
Is This Correct? Google Sues to Protect Copyright
December 30, 2025
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
This headline stopped me in my tracks: “Google Lawsuit Says Data Scraping Company Uses Fake Searches to Steal Web Content.” The way my dinobaby brain works, I expect to see a publisher taking the world’s largest online advertising outfit in the crosshairs. But I trust Thomson Reuters because they tell me they are the trust outfit.
Google apparently cannot stop a third party from scraping content from its Web site. Is this SEO outfit operating at a level of sophistication beyond the ken of Mandiant, Gemini, and the third-party cyber tools the online giant has? Must be I guess. Thanks, Venice.ai. Good enough.
The alleged copyright violator in this case seems to be one of those estimable, highly professional firms engaged in search engine optimization. Those are the folks Google once saw as helpful to the sale of advertising. After all, if a Web site is not in a Google search result, that Web site does not exist. Therefore, to get traffic or clicks, the Web site “owner” can buy Google ads and, of course, make the Web site Google compliant. Maybe the estimable SEO professional will continue to fiddle and doctor words in a tireless quest to eliminate the notion of relevance in Google search results.
Now an SEO outfit is on the wrong site of what Google sees as the law. The write up says:
Google on Friday [December 19, 2025] sued a Texas company that “scrapes” data from online search results, alleging it uses hundreds of millions of fake Google search requests to access copyrighted material and “take it for free at an astonishing scale. The lawsuit against SerpApi, filed in federal court in California, said the company bypassed Google’s data protections to steal the content and sell it to third parties.
To be honest the phrase “astonishing scale” struck me as somewhat amusing. Google itself operates on “astonishing scale.” But what is good for the goose is obviously not good for the gander.
I asked You.com to provide some examples of people suing Google for alleged copyright violations. The AI spit out a laundry list. Here are four I sort of remembered:
- News Outlets & Authors v. Google (AI Training Copyright Cases)
- Google Users v. Google LLC (Privacy/Data Class Action with Copyright Claims)
- Advertisers v. Google LLC (Advertising Content Class Action)
- Oracle America, Inc. v. Google LLC
My thought is that with some experience in copyright litigation, Google is probably confident that the SEO outfit broke the law. I wanted to word it “broke the law which suits Google” but I am not sure that is clear.
Okay, which company will “win.” An SEO firm with resources slightly less robust than Google’s or Google?
Place your bet on one of the online gambling sites advertising everywhere at this time. Oh, Google permits online gambling ads in areas allowing gambling and with appropriate certifications, licenses, and compliance functions.
I am not sure what to make of this because Google’s ability to filter, its smart software, and its security procedures obviously are either insufficient, don’t work, or are full of exploitable gaps.
Stephen E Arnold, December 30, 2025
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