Google to Kiwis: You Are Flightless Birds, Not Us
July 5, 2019
I read “Google Suspends Trends Email Alerts in New Zealand after Breaching Court Order.” The headline caught my attention. New Zealand? Home of Kim Dotcom. Get away spot for some Silicon Valley Lord of the Rings admirers? A handy place to experience earth tremors.
The write up reminded me:
Google has backed down in a spat with the New Zealand government after its email alert system Trends breached a court order suppressing details of a high-profile murder case. According to Reuters and AFP, Google has suspended its Trends feature in the country following outcry from the New Zealand government.
I can understand Google’s point of view. New Zealand is a mere country and a small one at that. It is far away, and it does not click as much as an important country’s residents.
The hassle surfaced because an automated Google alert named the person who killed another. Stating the alleged killer’s name was a no no. Google ignored that court order.
Google said, “Yo, we’re sorry.” However, Google was not too keen on making changes to its systems because a mere country wanted the US firm to follow the laws of that lesser nation state.
Here’s the nifty part. The write up reported:
New Zealand politicians reacted strongly to this reply, with justice minister Andrew Little accusing Google of “flipping the bird” at the country’s legal system.
What’s the problem with Google (a big virtual country) doing what’s good for itself. Plus, little countries have to be careful because Google has digital firepower and could use it to send a message. Oil embargo? Forget that? How about no email and no Web traffic?
The write up included this statement:
In the UK, for example, politicians have argued that Facebook is incapable of policing “harmful” content on its platform, and needs to be overseen by domestic regulators. In France, Google has been fined millions of dollars for failing to meet EU data privacy laws. And in New Zealand, Facebook was strongly criticized by prime minister Jacinda Ardern for failing to stop the spread of videos of the Christchurch terrorist attacks. “They are the publisher not just the postman,” said Arden in March. “There cannot be a case of all profit no responsibility.”
Get real. This is the Google politicians and officials are irritating. What about removing New Zealand and the UK from Google Maps?
If you are not on Google, you don’t exist. Understand?
Stephen E Arnold, July 5, 2019
YouTube: About Face
July 5, 2019
DarkCyber noted another example of high school science club management methods. “YouTube Reinstates Yanked Ethical Hacking Videos” reports:
YouTube’s clear as mud moderation rules were once again confused this week as the site pulled a bunch of ethical hacking videos, only to reinstate them shortly afterwards.
The UK news source reports that Google allegedly said to another online information service:
“With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call,” a Google spokesperson told The Verge after the videos were restored. “We have an appeals process in place for users, and when it’s brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it.”
The Inquirer.net writes:
Iffy moderation on YouTube. Surely not.
DarkCyber wants to point out that “iffy” is a standard operating procedure when implementing high school science club management methods. The science club is, by definition, correct. There is a corollary about consistency; that is, “What the science club does is, by definition, consistent.
You have to be in the science club to appreciate the truth of this statement.
Stephen E Arnold, July 5, 2019
Google: The Deciders Decide and Damage Some Security Data Flows
July 4, 2019
I read “YouTube Strikes Infosec Channels for Instructional Hacking Content.” DarkCyber view is that some information which routinely makes its way into open source should not be there. But, hey, we’ve been accused of being dinosaurs before. DarkCyber’s beloved leader, Stephen E Arnold, coined the term “Googzilla” and its reptilian connotations definitely applies to some of the DarkCyber team.
The point of the write up strikes DarkCyber as:
‘Youtube banning security disclosures doesn’t make products more secure, nor will it prevent attackers from exploiting defects – but it will mean that users will be the last to know that they’ve been trusting the wrong companies, and that developers will keep on making the same stupid mistakes…forever.’
Several observations:
ITEM 1: DarkCyber’s sparkling fountains of fire describes the management of some Silicon Valley firms as following the management precepts of “high school science clubs.” This means that bright, arrogant, confident, and generally mathy type people create an us-them dichotomy. Then the “us” people create a tidy little world which allows pranks, outstanding decisions, and numerous snide comments to pass for intelligence. Apply the HSSC method and you get…
High School Science Club Management Methods
A good example is a decision which is short sighted, difficult to explain, and probably as practical as driving a US Fourth of July parade war fighting vehicle to a party at the local Burger King.
ITEM 2: Figuring out what is positive information versus negative information is subjective. This means that one person will see the dress as one color and another person will see the garment as another color. Which is it? Don’t ask me, just ask the people at the search company. I know I can’t figure out what people will “perceive.” Obviously, the HSSCMM allows this type of decision making. The science club is, by definition, right. Plus, now member of the science club have lots of money.
ITEM 3: When making the Loon balloon into a commercial company or insisting that search results are relevant, Silicon Valley type companies are delightful. When these firms decide what information is technically permissible or not allowed demonstrates their decision making capabilities. If there were viable MBA programs, perhaps this type of deciderism would become a case study. Oh, right, MBA programs are facing some headwinds now.
Net net: The deciders decide. The followers follow. Medieval methods are good. The punishment? Banishment. DarkCyber assumes this is preferable to a dungeon in Mountain View or a ban on Philz coffee.
Stephen E Arnold, July 4, 2019
GSA Inspector General Finds Something Obvious
July 3, 2019
I read “GSA IG: Federal Acquisition Service Ineffective in Administering Enterprise IT Modernization Contract.” Startling. Amazing. Shocking.
The write up explained:
The IG said that FAS failed to ensure that the Transition Ordering Assistance task order met the requirements for the EIS information technology modernization initiative, resulting in “high rates of spending with minimal transition progress.” Other findings include deficiencies in planning and management, invoicing and contractor performance assessments.
How does one address the shortcomings?
Easy.
Get in the consultants. Form a team. Work up “metrics for work completion”. Make sure these are in line “with budget concerns.” Then everyone implement “interagency agreements.”
Who knew that solving a problem would be so straightforward.
Why do these problems exist? Maybe consultants and staff struggling to deal with certain types of complex interactions.
What happens to projects underway as these recommendations are followed? Maybe more inefficiency, delays, and waste.
Camus might have dropped Sisyphus as his hero and substituted the GSA’s Inspector General?
Stephen E Arnold, July 3, 2019
Machine Learning: Whom Does One Believe?
June 28, 2019
Ah, another day begins with mixed messages. Just what the relaxed, unstressed modern decider needs.
First, navigate to “Reasons Why Machine Learning can Prove Beneficial for Your Organization.” The reasons include:
- Segment customer coverage. No, I don’t know what this means either.
- Accurate business forecasts. No, machine learning systems cannot predict horse races or how a business will do. How about the impact of tariffs or a Fed interest rate change?
- Improved customer experience. No, experiences are not improving. How do I know? Ask a cashier to make change? Try to get an Amazon professional to explain how to connect a Mac laptop to an Audible account WITHOUT asking, “May I take control of your computer with our software?”
- Make decisions confidently. Yep, that’s what a decider does in the stable, positive, uplifting work environment of a electronic exchange when a bug costs millions in a two milliseconds.
- Automate your routine tasks. Absolutely. Automation works well. Ask the families of those killed by “intelligence stoked” automobiles or smart systems on a 737 Max.
But there’s a flip side to these cheery “beneficial” outcomes. Navigate to “Machine Learning Systems Are Stuck in a Rut.” We noted these statements. First a quote from a technical paper.
In this paper we argue that systems for numerical computing are stuck in a local basin of performance and programmability. Systems researchers are doing an excellent job improving the performance of 5-year old benchmarks, but gradually making it harder to explore innovative machine learning research ideas.
Next this comment by the person who wrote the “Learning Systems” article:
The thrust of the argument is that there’s a chain of inter-linked assumptions / dependencies from the hardware all the way to the programming model, and any time you step outside of the mainstream it’s sufficiently hard to get acceptable performance that researchers are discouraged from doing so.
Which is better? Which is correct?
Be a decider either using a black box or the stuff between your ears.
Stephen E Arnold, June 28, 2019
Google Maps: A Metaphor for the Here and Now Google
June 28, 2019
In a way, I have some sympathy for the GOOG. The company, allegedly an online search service, demonstrated the inherent irrelevance of its systems and methods. I read the allegedly true story “EasyAsk Drive 7-% More Revenue” which was the headline displayed over the CNN story about Google Maps directing more than 100 individuals to a muddy field. Yep, the ad covered up the story. That’s our here and now Google.
Sure, the story was amusing even if the title was obliterated in a quest to get me to license a product in which I have zero interest. According to the write up:
Technology isn’t always foolproof, as about 100 Colorado drivers learned when Google Maps offered them a supposedly quick way out of a traffic jam.
That’s a refreshing assessment of a really screwed up mess.
I learned:
The alternate route took drivers down a dirt road that rain had turned into a muddy mess, and cars started sliding around. Some vehicles couldn’t make it through the mud, and about 100 others became trapped behind them.
Google explained the problem this way:
“We take many factors into account when determining driving routes, including the size of the road and the directness of the route,” the company said in a statement. “While we always work to provide the best directions, issues can arise due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather. We encourage all drivers to follow local laws, stay attentive, and use their best judgment while driving.”
I love the royal we.
Let’s review the flaws this single incident and news story reveal:
- Just bad information. Google Maps direct people to routes which are not passable
- Sheep like humans. Humans depend on Google to do the thinking for them and end up with incorrect information
- Talk down rhetoric. Google explains the problem with parent type talk.
- Desperate advertisers. Marketers are paying to put their message in front of people indifferent to the annoyance a person like me experiences when an irrelevant ad covers up the headline of something that interests me.
The drivers are not the only ones stuck in the mud. Quite a mess.
Stephen E Arnold, June 28, 2019
Bilderberg Attendees
June 28, 2019
Who attended the exclusive Bilderberg meeting this year?
It is the most prestigious and consequential meeting you may never have heard of, and it has been going on since 1954. The Bilderberg Meeting is an annual conference where elites from Europe and North America discuss the fate of the world. Originally formed to avoid another World War, the gathering includes some 120 to 150 of the world’s top movers and shakers in politics, industry, finance, academics, and the media. This year’s meeting was held in Dresden, Germany, the first week of June and, thanks to From the Trenches World Report, we know who was invited—just see the “Bilderberg 2019 Annotated Members List.” Blogger Video Rebel introduces their roster:
“I prefer an in depth look at the participants which is why I have been doing annotated Bilderberg participants lists for several years. This year has lots of AI experts. As usual lots of military experts and bankers plus media and politicians. But lots of experts in populist revolts and movements. Based on their invitations to attend, they seem to want to co-opt gender studies, Gays, Greens and the Trump administration.”
We are interested to see the increase in AI experts; that makes sense right now. Navigate to the write-up for the full list, but here are some names that caught my eye: Jared Cohen, Jared Kushner, Eric Schmidt, and Peter Thiel. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for some of those conversations!
Cynthia Murrell, June 24, 2019
Google: Hunting for Not Us
June 26, 2019
There was a dust up about song lyrics. As I recall, the responsibility did not fall upon the impossibly magnificent Google shoulders. A supplier may have acted in a manner which some “genius” thinks is a third party’s problem. Yep, a supplier.
I just read “Tracing the Supply Chain Attack on Android.” The write up explained that malware with impossible to remember and spell names like Yehuo found its way on to Android phones via the “supply chain.” I don’t know much about supply chains, but I think these are third parties who do work for a company. The idea is that someone at one firm contracts with the third party to perform work. When I worked as a “third party,” I recall people who were paying me taking actions; for example, texting, visiting, emailing, requiring me or my colleagues to attend meetings in which some of the people in charge fiddled with their mobile devices, and fidgeted.
The write up digs through quite a bit of data and reports many interesting details.
However, there is one point which is not included in the write up: Google appears to find itself looking at a third party as a bad actor. What unites the “genius” affair and the pre installed malware.
Google management processes?
Yes, that’s one possible answer. Who said something along the lines that if one creates chaos, that entity must address the problems created by chaos?
But if a third party did it, whose problem is it anyway?
Stephen E Arnold, June 26, 2019
Google Walk Out Leader Walks Out
June 26, 2019
Is diversity possible at Google?
Not too long ago, Claire Stapleton led a series of walkouts at Google related to policies that are sexist towards female employees. Since Stapleton staged the walkouts, she claimed she faced a growing amount of hostility at her job. The Inquirer investigates more in the article, “Googler Who Lead Mass Walkout Leaves The Company Due To ‘Manager Hostility.’”
Stapleton was a YouTube marketing manager and had worked at Google for twelve years. Ever since she took a stand against Google’s sexist policies, Stapleton said that Google has become more hostile toward her. She specifically used the term “scarlet letter” in reference to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book of the same name about a woman who bore a child out of wedlock. The scarlet letter term is ironic, because of that connotation. Stapleton decided to leave to escape from the stress and shame. She also is pregnant and did not want the stress to harm her unborn child.
Google said something different:
“We thank Claire for her work at Google and wish her all the best. To reiterate, we don’t tolerate retaliation. Our employee relations team did a thorough investigation of her claims and found no evidence of retaliation. They found that Claire’s management team supported her contributions to our workplace, including awarding her their team Culture Award for her role in the walkout.”
Google’s response is the standard, inoffensive HR copy. It is impressive that Stapleton’s management team awarded her the Culture Award. Even if Google praised her efforts, the company could still ostracize her. It could have been Google’s entire plan to place undue stress on Stapleton, until she could not handle the pressure anymore and needed to leave for her sanity. This is a nasty business tactic and it is not new, but it is a shame that it is still being used. Stapleton may continue to push for equality and diversity. She was good enough to get hired, but not good enough to stay: Is that a fair assessment?
Whitney Grace, June 26, 2019
Microsoft Security Consistency Involves Prohibition and Discouragement. Yeah, about That Security Thing?
June 22, 2019
I read “No Slack for You! Microsoft Puts Rival App on Internal List of Prohibited and Discouraged software” and had to laugh. Adobe Flash and Microsoft Windows have something in common. These are two of the “systems” which have been the super highway to exploits, hacking, and mischief for years. I am not sure the Mac is more secure; it is less popular. With forced installations, Microsoft’s software has emerged as a go to way for many bad actors to compromise systems. Yep, Word macros, Shadow Brokers’ code dumps, and freebie exploits explained by security researchers — quite a few pivot on Microsoft technology.
The write up explains that Microsoft has identified software which poses security leaks for the one time monopolist and all time champ of questionable browser technology:
- Amazon AWS. Yep, Amazon is a threat. A security threat? Only if those using the service fail to follow the recommended procedures. Plus Amazon is gobbling Microsoft’s mindshare by making it possible to run Microsoft on AWS. There you go.
- Grammarly. Don’t you love it when Word gets grammar incorrectly? Grammarly does some grammar moster correct. How do you solve the problem? Hey, just ban the Grammarly thing. Word’s method is Microsoftianish-like.
- Slack. Use Skype and be happy. Use Outlook and be happier. Use Zoom. Nope, strike that. And didn’t Microsoft try to buy Slack in 2016?
But “git” this: Microsoft owns another banned service GitHub. Now banning something you have owned since late 2018 is straight out of bizarro world.
Why not invest to “fix” GitHub? Why not make your own code less vulnerable to bad actors? Why not? Why not?
One of the TV shows has used the catchphrase, “Come on, man” to call attention to what I would call ill advised on field actions.
It is applicable to Microsoft’s new found concern for security.
Come on, man.
Stephen E Arnold, June 22, 2019
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