Ask HN: Why exactly is FB on trial, and why not Google?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17003135

by rotrux • 8 years ago

8 7 8 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

It's plain FaceBook may have been a bit negligent ~a half-decade ago, but why is this exceptionally public trial happening right now?

Google told me where to park yesterday. Google also has had privacy lawsuits laid against them.

Why are we not paying attention to Google?

elmerfud• 8 years ago

I think it has to do with how each is used.

Facebook has positioned itself as a social space to facilitate socialization with others of your choosing. Then from that aspect it has tried to move in to the life quality enhancements. In people's minds the information they share on this platform is intended better the aspect of socialization with those they want to socialize with.

Google has been a facilitator of life enhancements like an assistant. Starting at its beginning of just search, you share what you're looking for and it will help you find it. While it may not be obvious in people's minds it still registers at some level when you search you're yelling out to the world, "does anyone have any 6's". Google has tried to move in to the social space but that's not how they are viewed at their core. Everything Google does is ease of life assistance.

I think a fair analogy in public perception is this. Telling things to Facebook is like telling your friends things. You don't expect them to share that information. Telling things to Google is like requesting something of your personal assistant, you expect them to be discreet but ultimately they will need to share things about you and your request in order to fulfill it.

samfisher83• 8 years ago

I think facebook helped win Trump the election or at least that is how its being framed. People are in front of facebook more. They are clicking on stories etc. I guess you could do the same think with youtube, but for example if you use google search its not like you are just sitting there and looking at articles. You find what you need and move on.

rajacombinator• 8 years ago

Zuck was floating some political ambitions but he hasn’t paid his dues to the establishment yet. This was their way of putting him back in place. Same thing happened to Bezos recently with the negative press on Amazon working conditions. Google guys have steered clear of the spotlight, and already collaborate closely with tptb anyway.

sheepmullet• 8 years ago

It is politics.

Facebook has been weaponised against the political left and right.

Google has only been weaponised against the political right.

Since most techies lean left they are happy to give Google a free pass and focus on Facebook.

pasabagi• 8 years ago

The obvious answer is that Facebook were having some reasonably public disagreements with traditional media organizations, most notably Rupert Murdoch's, over the question of news articles viewed on Facebook.

The problem was, Facebook was essentially running ads against the content of Murdoch's media. Murdoch reportedly asked Zuck to simply pay for the news articles that were in the Facebook feed - and Zuckerberg reportedly laughed him off.[0]

So now, we have a massive public trial, conducted by all the public figures most indebted to Rupert Murdoch.

[0] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/22/rupert-mu...

yuhong• 8 years ago

I wonder why my essay has gotten little attention: http://yuhongbao.blogspot.ca/2018/04/google-doubleclick-mozi... I was planning to write it before Facebook hits the news.

dredmorbius• 8 years ago

It is, frankly, not very good.

Ask HN: Why exactly is FB on trial, and why not Google?

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