12.21.09
Gemini version available ♊︎De Facto Microsoft Press: “Google is the Patriot Act on Steroids”, Takes Pictures of Your Kids
“[Nicolas] Sarkozy and his family have been vacationing at a lakefront estate in Wolfeboro owned by former Microsoft Corp. executive Michael Appe.”
–MSNBC, 2007
Summary: The press whose purpose is to serve Microsoft’s interests is spreading inaccurate and alarmist propaganda against Google and GNU/Linux
SOME OF THE LATEST posts about Nicolas Sarkozy and Microsoft [1, 2, 3] have been good reminders of this special relationship. Sarkozy is currently slapping Google over its book-scanning project, but he never had a problem when Microsoft did this.
Now that Google’s book-scanning is under additional attacks, there are suspicions that Microsoft is behind it because it was behind it before, about a year ago. We wrote about this on numerous occasions and we also pointed out that Microsoft was being a hypocrite; it did — after all — directly compete against Google book-scanning service by doing exactly the same thing. It just happens to have lost the race.
“Having failed to compete on technical merit, Microsoft increases the public’s fear of Google, as it has been doing for years.”“Who’s behind the criticism of the Google book deal,” asked a reader of ours who pointed to this latest development. Given that Microsoft did participate in such criticisms before (the book settlement, for instance), it is only natural to be suspicious.
Having failed to compete on technical merit, Microsoft increases the public’s fear of Google, as it has been doing for years. Microsoft even decided to block Google and remove it as merely an option by allegedly paying Verizon half a billion dollars. Let’s not forget the Rupert Murdoch plot [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13].
Doug Barney from the ‘Microsoft press’ is serving Microsoft’s agenda by uttering more of the same things:
Let’s face it: Google pries into our lives, takes pictures of our homes when the kids are playing in the yard, and indexes much of our personal information. Google is the Patriot Act on steroids.
Is Microsoft any better? Let’s see. Microsoft is offering all the same services.
The Seattle press, which is aligned with Microsoft’s agenda, is doing the same thing against Chrome OS (GNU/Linux) at the moment. It includes some distortions or lies in a new article that ridicules Chrome OS:
No computer-makers have announced plans to sell computers with Chrome OS yet, but Google is planning on netbooks with Chrome OS to start selling in the fourth quarter of 2010.
That’s not true. Some have already committed. The Seattle press sure pays off for Microsoft. █
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your_friend said,
December 22, 2009 at 1:30 am
The question is not if Microsoft is any better but how much worse they are. For decades, Microsoft has been all about selling it’s user’s information to partners and has always granted themselves permission to snoop on users in their EULAs. They are part of the corporate culture that has given us nightmare databases like ChoicePoint. Microsoft has also worked hard with publishers to give us insane laws like the DMCA and Patriot act. If Google is forced to live in a privacy hostile environment, they have Microsoft to thank. Finally we can compare Microsoft’s fawning collaboration with China. They helped build censorship in China, have betrayed dissidents there and have even censored web sites here in the US. Google’s behavior, towards customers, employees and investors are all much better than Microsoft. This is why Google prospers and Microsoft fails. People can tell the difference.
Doug Barney said,
December 22, 2009 at 10:13 am
This is a cool site that I just started tracking.
To criticize Google is not, by definition, supporting Microsoft — sometimes it is just criticizing Google.
Roy Schestowitz Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Hi Doug,
Agreed. Let’s remember to criticise all culprits equally and defend our rights this way. Yahoo! too has already turned in bloggers to be jailed for an expression of opinion in China.
Doug Barney said,
December 22, 2009 at 1:23 pm
There are plenty of companies and individuals that need their feet held to the fire, which is why I like your site.
I can take the heat, so no worries about calling me out either.
Roy Schestowitz Reply:
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Glad you let me know!