Google hid evidence by training workers to avoid words monopolists use, DOJ says

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/09/google-hid-evidence-by-training-workers-to-avoid-words-monopolists-use-doj-says/

by pseudolus • 3 years ago

87 4 3 years ago

arstechnica.com

dang• 3 years ago

Comments moved to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37509624, which has the source this one is reporting on.

Submitters: "Please submit the original source. If a post reports on something found on another site, submit the latter." - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

valbaca• 3 years ago

Every FAANG does this.

Trainings on avoiding words like "Dominate" or "Global market" and such.

aoki• 3 years ago

100% of large companies I’ve worked for. Any competitive lawsuit can trigger keyword-based e-discovery. The rationale is that nobody but lawyers even understands the full legal meaning and significance of those words so you shouldn’t use them except when consulting with lawyers. Similar arguments apply to IP (patent) discussions.

septillianator• 3 years ago

This case seems like a joke. Seems very "damn if you do and damn if you dont" across the board. DOJ states that Google trains to not use monopolistic language for the very same reason as to what they are trying to be held liable of doing. Seems like it would be a recipe for disaster to save the chats between employees and execs. Holding people accountable word for word that they have in the midst of conversation seems unjust to begin with. . People say things without thinking entirely through- its chat! And the huge bids to be the default browser on phone is the nature of business set forth by the likes of the phone manufactures to begin with. The idea of their being a default search to begin with is the problem. GOOGLE is just playing the game. It shoudl be required that the search engine should be picked at the time of the unboxing of the phone and this rule probably should have been made 15 years ago. The whole case seems like a huge waste of time to me and is another example of the government demonstrating their incompetence with regards to big tech.

Google hid evidence by training workers to avoid words monopolists use, DOJ says

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