Let Us Let Google Think for Us? Yeah, Why Not?
May 10, 2022
What wonderful news… for the Google.
TechRadar reports that “Google Docs Will Now Practically Do Your Writing for You.” What an effective way to nudge language and information a certain direction. Docs’ “Smart Compose” feature already offers autocomplete suggestions as one types but, citing a recent Google blog post, writer Joel Khalili explains how its AI is poised to make even more “helpful” recommendations:
“The company is adding a number of new ‘assistive writing features’ to the word processing software, including synonym and sentence structure suggestions. The service will also flag up any ‘inappropriate’ language, as well as instances in which the writer would be better served by using the active rather than passive voice. … The arrival of further recommendation features for Docs is another step in the campaign to make the company’s product suite more intelligent. ‘Suggestions will appear as you type and help guide you when there are opportunities to avoid repeated or unnecessary words, helping diversify your writing and ensuring you’re using the most effective word for the situation,’ Google explained. ‘We hope this will help elevate your writing style and make more dynamic, clear, inclusive, and concise documents.’ When the tools are active, suggestions will be underlined in purple. Selecting the underline will bring up a small pop up that prompts the user to accept or decline the change. These suggestions will be switched on by default, but can be deactivated under the Tools menu at the top of the page.”
At least users who prefer to choose their own words have the option to turn suggestions off. The write-up states these new AI intrusions are being rolled out to all premium business customers now, a process that should be complete by the end of April. Alas, they are not available to Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, nor Enterprise Essentials users.
Cynthia Murrell, May 10, 2022
Some Real News People Are Never Happy
May 10, 2022
The European Publishers Council has joined the fight against Googley ad practices. Reuters reveals, “Google’s Advertising Tech Targeted in European Publishers’ Complaint.” Reporter Foo Yun Chee suggests the move could strengthen the current EU antitrust investigation into the company, but we have seen how Google tends to shrug off European efforts to constrain it. We are not sure this is the straw to break the behemoth’s back. Nevertheless, the write-up tells us:
“The European Commission opened an investigation in June into whether Google favors its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of rivals, advertisers and online publishers. read more The publishers’ trade body, whose members include Axel Springer (SPRGn.S), News UK, Conde Nast, Bonnier News and Editorial Prensa Iberica, took its grievance to the European Commission, alleging Google has an adtech stranglehold over press publishers. ‘It is high time for the European Commission to impose measures on Google that actually change, not just challenge, its behavior,’ EPC Chairman Christian Van Thillo said in a statement. ‘Google has achieved end-to-end control of the ad tech value chain, boasting market shares as high as 90-100% in segments of the ad tech chain,’ he said.”
Indeed, which is why it is difficult to imagine consequences strong enough to make the company change its rapacious practices. Naturally Google denies any wrongdoing, gesturing at the billions of dollars it pays out to publishers each year. We appreciate the effort at redirection, but the real issue is whether publishers and other advertisers would be making more if Google played fair.
Cynthia Murrell, May 10, 2022
Cheerleading for the Google: A Soft Counter Howl
May 9, 2022
I have noted several posts which champion Google’s approach to smart software. I find it difficult to think about the cheerleading for Google’s “quantum supremacy” approach to its systems and methods. Dissent, disagree with the Jeff Deans of Google, or point out known flaws such as less useful results from a simple query — and what happens? The Google terminates people. The most recent example concerns a full fledged member of the Google High School science club. Dr. Satrajit Chatterjee suggested the emperor was wearing PR clothes. Yep, one can see things when the Big Dogs of Google parade around at conferences. For some “color” about Dr. Chatterjee’s misstep, check out this New York Times’ write up: “Another Firing Among Google’s A.I. Brain Trust, and More Discord.” (Paywall in place, but don’t complain to me.)
I read “Google AI Sparks a Revolution in Machine Learning.” Oh, really. I thought the Google’s machine learning was crafted from such methods as those presented by Dr. Christopher Ré, the Snorkel outfit, and the labors of engineers who recycle the original work of DeepMind. The novelty may be the PR, not the engineering.
The write up exclaims:
In all the hype around PaLM, people have not spent enough time understanding Google’s Pathways. But, when you do look into it, you will see that it is nothing short of a revolution. I’m not exaggerating.
See. “People” are not making an effort to understand the wonderfulness of Google’s method for reducing the cost of training machine learning models and then tuning those puppies with synthetic data. Why? “Real” data is increasingly difficult to get, even for the Google. Efficiency and cost reduction are the drivers. The PR push is designed to be a turbo charger.
Let’s take one small example of how the hype does not match what Google delivers. “Enterprise search” is a bound phrase. The idea is that if the bound phrase appears in a document, that document belongs in the search result set.
I get a sometimes daily and sometimes weekly summary of “important” and “relevant” documents sent to me via email. I use a competitive system as well, but the details of how that compares is not my concern. I want to focus on a result set of three:
enterprise search
NEWS
Global Enterprise Search Software Market â?? Recent Industry Trends and Projected Industry …
Global Enterprise Search Software Market â?? Recent Industry Trends and Projected Industry Growth 2021 â?? 2026. Admin Published: 8 minutes ago …
SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST (ENTERPRISE SEARCH ENGINEER) – City of Toronto Jobs – City of Toronto Jobs
Desperate search for survivors in Cuba hotel blast; 27 dead – Beaumont Enterprise
They checked the morgue, hospitals and if unsuccessful, they returned to the partially collapsed Hotel Saratoga, where rescuers used dogs to hunt for …
Flag as irrelevant
Enterprise applies The Trust Project standards to increase news transparency
These indicators are a collaborative, journalism-generated standard that help both readers and search engines assess the authority and integrity …
Notice that the bound phrase “enterprise search” is interpreted by Google’s smart software in these ways:
The first citation is to a junk-type market research report which purports to provide a look at the future of the enterprise search market. Keep in mind that this is a market which is dominated by open source options and a handful of vendors chasing niches; for example, Coveo and customer support and Fabasoft Mindbreeze the Microsoft market. Other vendors are just desperate to make sales and try to sell to another outfit, do and IPO, or get more financing. Enterprise search is a tough sector, and it is now almost a commodity.
The second citation is to a job posting in Toronto. What? No job posts in Berlin. I saw one the other day for an enterprise search engineer with NLP expertise. Plus there are “contact us” pleas from numerous vendors in the search-and-retrieve game just focusing on the law enforcement, intelligence, and business intelligence sectors.
The third citation is about the natural gas explosion in a hotel in Cuba. The separate words “search” and “enterprise” appear in the citation. The problem is that Google’s smart software ignored the bound phrase and did key word matching unaware of the location of words (title and body of article) and the order of the words. Enterprise before search, right? Not for Google’s smart software.
The fourth citation is interesting. Same problem. No bound phrase but the order of the disconnected words is close. Of the four citations, the results are incomplete because I get alerts on the subject from another outfit. But the Google results are 50 percent accurate.
That’s what I mean by Google’s methods generating results that a close enough for horseshoes: 50 percent accuracy. That’s a high water mark when a Google user relies on one of Android’s forthcoming medical outputs. Do you want to stand in front of a Google self driving car and see if that system is 50 percent accurate? I sure don’t.
Observations:
- Google wants its methods to become the one true way to implement machine learning and, hence, smart software. Disagree and you get fired. Just ask Dr. Chatterjee or Dr. Gebru.
- Some of Google’s methods can be used to deliver high-value outputs. A good example is Heron Systems’ smart software which virtually killed Animal in about 50 seconds. Just bits, gentle reader, no bullets killing a US Department of Defense Top Gun.
- The PR is disconnected from what the Google system is doing: In my view, Google wants to cut costs, eliminate insofar as possible the subject matter experts who build training sets and updates, and find methods that justify displaying endless Grammarly and Liberty Mutual ads to me when I watch a YouTube video about differential equations or Russian bloggers explaining that life is okay in St. Petersburg. (Sure it is.)
I have a suggestion. PR fluff needs to be labeled. Otherwise, you may be in the path of a self driving Waymo and your 50/50 chance may not work out as you assume. Advertisers, so far, remain unaware of what’s shakin’ with their expensive bacon.
Stephen E Arnold, May 9, 2022
Does Samsung Sense a Crack in the Googleplex?
May 6, 2022
It seems someone does not have much confidence in the Google. SamMobile suggests, “If Google Can’t Do Android Anymore, Maybe it Should Be Left to Samsung.” Writer Adnan F. begins by observing how valuable Android is to Google, delivering a steady stream of users to its other (Android default) services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps. He also concedes the company updates the OS regularly, but is underwhelmed by its efforts. Perhaps, he suggests, Google has been lured into a sense of complacency by its distinct lack of competitors for the not-Apple mobile device market. This is where, to Adnan F.’s mind, Samsung could come in. He writes:
“Samsung has clearly taken the lead in advancing the cause of Android, perhaps more so than Google itself. Then again, Samsung does happen to be the largest global vendor of Android devices. It may rely on Google for the OS but there’s no question that it’s Google that needs Samsung and not the other way around. Often it feels that a light bulb goes off at Google whenever it sees Samsung create a feature that Android should have had. Then it wastes no time in copying that feature. Here’s an example and here’s another, and in the immortal words of DJ Khaled, another one. Let’s not forget that several Android 12 features are copied from One UI and even from Samsung’s outdated TouchWiz UI!. Samsung’s One UI features are also being copied for Android 13. Today, Google went ahead and copied Samsung’s Smart Switch app. It’s as if Google is sitting in an exam and looking over the shoulder of the smart kid – that’s Samsung in this scenario – hoping to copy its work. Where it should have been Google taking the lead, it’s Samsung that’s influencing some of the major feature additions to Android.”
It is not an unreasonable suggestion. As the write-up points out, the two companies are close partners and have collaborated before. But would Google ever hand over the Android reins, even to a trusted friend? We are not so sure.
Cynthia Murrell, May 6, 2022
Google: Dark Patterns? Nope Maybe Clumsy Patterns?
May 5, 2022
Ah, the Google. Each day more interesting information about the business processes brightens my day. I just read a post by vort3 called “Google’s Most Ridiculous Trick to Force Users into Adding Phone Number.” The interesting segment of the post is the list of “things that are wrong” caught my attention. Here are several of the items:
You can’t generate app specific passwords if you don’t have 2FA enabled. That’s some artificial limitation made to force you into adding phone number to your account.
You can’t use authenticator app to enable 2FA. I have no idea why SMS which is the least secure way to send information is a primary method and authenticator app which can be set up by scanning QR from the screen without sending any information at all is «secondary» and can only be used after you give your phone number.
Nowhere in announcements or help pages or in the Google Account interface they tell you that you can’t generate app passwords if you don’t have 2FA. The button is just missing and you wouldn’t even know it should be there unless you search on the internet.
Nowhere they tell you the only way to enable 2FA is to link your account to your phone number or to your android/iphone device, the options are just not there.
Vort3 appears to not too Googley. Others chime into Vort3’s post. Some of the comments are quite negative; for example, JQPABC123 said:
The fastest way to convince me *not* to use a product is to attach a “Google” label to it. Nothing Google has to offer justifies the drawbacks.
Definitely a professional who might struggle in a Google business process interview. By this I mean, asking “What process?” is a downer.
The fix, according to CraftyGuy is, “Stop… using Google.”
The Beyond Search team thinks the Google is the cat’s pajamas because these are not Dark Patterns, they seem to be clumsy.
Stephen E Arnold, May 5, 2022
How Apps Use Your Data: Just a Half Effort
April 28, 2022
I read an quite enthusiastic article called “Google Forces Developers to Provide Details on How Apps Use Your Data.” The main idea is virtue signaling with one of those flashing airport beacons. These can be seen through certain types of “info fog,” just not today’s info fog. The digital climate has a number of characteristics. One is obfuscation.
The write up states:
… the Data safety feature is now on the Google Play Store and aims to bolster security by providing users details on how an app is using their information. Developers are required to complete this section for their apps by July 20, and will need to provide updates if they change their data handling practices, too.
That sounds encouraging. Google’s been at the data harvesting combine controls for more than two decades. Now app developers have to provide information about their use of an app user’s data and presumably flip on the yellow fog lights for what the folks who have access to those data via an API or a bulk transfer are doing. Amusing thought forced regulation after 240 months on the info highway.
However, what app users do with data is half of the story, maybe less. The interesting question to me is, “What does Google do with those data?”
The Data Safety initiative does not focus on the Google. Data Safety shifts the attention to app developers, presumably some of whom have crafty ideas. My interest is Google’s own data surfing; for example, ad diffusion, and my fave Snorkelization and synthetic “close enough for horseshoes” data. Real data may be to “real” for some purposes.
After a couple of decades, Google is taking steps toward a data destination. I just don’t know where that journey is taking people.
Stephen E Arnold, April 28, 2022
NCC April A Golden Oldie: YouTube Will Do Its Bestest
April 28, 2022
As tech companies receive continued pressure to contain misinformation on their platforms, MakeUseOf ponders, “Is YouTube Doing Enough to Tackle Misinformation?” The short answer—no. After all, removing content means removing ad revenue. Writer Aya Masango observes:
“Although YouTube has been working to tackle misinformation, the company realizes the importance of evolving to ensure that it stays ahead of those measures and that it continues to remain effective in that pursuit. And although that is the case, YouTube is still facing some challenges in tackling misinformation. In a YouTube blog post, the company’s Chief Product Officer, Neal Mohan, admitted that the platform is still struggling with thwarting misinformation before it goes viral, addressing cross-platform sharing of misinformation, and advancing misinformation efforts on a global scale. As noted by Mohan, ‘… As misinformation narratives emerge faster and spread more widely than ever, our approach needs to evolve to keep pace.’ This shows that YouTube is aware that it still has a long way to go in its efforts to tackle the spread of misinformation on its platform.”
Since Mohan is so interested in doing the right thing, Masango offers three suggestions for him and his company: First she advises partnering with independent fact checkers, pointing to an informative open letter from The International Fact-Checking Network. The company should also set up native teams in foreign lands, where YouTube’s misinformation management is especially weak, and bring local expertise to bear. Finally, the write-up calls for banning channels that persist in peddling misinformation. Since that would mean fewer adds sold, however, we suspect the company considers that obvious measure a last resort.
Cynthia Murrell, April 28, 2022
Dinging AMP after Years of Unknowing: Timely Marketing Perhaps?
April 22, 2022
In one of my Google monographs, I included a diagram showing Google as a digital walled garden. The idea is that a Google user would access the Google version of the Internet via Google. I documented this by referencing some Google patents which few read or bothered to match to Google’s vision for the really big new thing: The mobile Internet.
The Google rolled out AMP with some magic PR dust explaining that speed was good. I laughed. Yep, speed is good, but the shaping of content and funneling those data into, through, and out of the Google was way better. If you look at the world through wonky Google PR sparkles, good for you.
I read “Why Brave and DuckDuckGo are cracking down on Google’s AMP.” The key point in the write up is that these steps have been taken seven years after the AMP roll out and more than 15 years after I wrote The Google Legacy, Google Version 2.0, and Google: The Digital Gutenberg. Speedy for sure.
The write up states with the attendant “wow, this is such a bold move” prose:
Brave published a blog post saying it’s releasing a new feature called De-AMP that’ll redirect you to the publisher’s original page, instead of an AMP-based link. The feature is available in Nightly and Beta versions of the browser, and will be enabled by default in the upcoming 1.38 Desktop and Android versions. The firm said it’s working on porting these functions to its iOS browser at the moment. A day later, privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo posted on Twitter that its apps and extensions will redirect users to publishers’ non-AMP pages when they click on links in search results.
Translation: Avoid the Google version of the Internet. I could offer some examples of how Google reshapes on the fly certain types of content, but I am confident that you, gentle reader, are familiar with this mechanism, right?
Google does many interesting things? There is the quaint notion of quality and Google’s view of quality. There is the significance of time metadata and Google’s version of time in general and time metadata in particular. And more? You bet. But everyone knows these mechanisms, right? Absolutely because most people meet tell me they are search experts.
Net net: This strikes me as marketing.
Stephen E Arnold, April 22, 2022
Google: Visits to Paris Likely to Increase
April 22, 2022
In the unlikely publication for me, Adweek published an interesting story: “French Sites Ordered to Stop Using Google Analytics Is Just the Beginning.” That title seems ominous. The election excitement is building, but the actions of Commission Nationale de l’informatique et des Libertés is likely to grind forward regardless of who wins what. The Adweek write up states:
…the French data watchdog—Commission Nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL)—ordered three French websites to stop using audience analytics site Google Analytics, deeming the site to be illegal under the General Data Protection Regulation.
The article adds:
This means that companies based in Europe using Google Analytics—which reads cookies that are dropped on peoples’ browsers when they visit a site to gauge whether they are a new or returning user—were shipping people’s personal information to the U.S.
Are Google Analytics a problem for CNIL? Probably not for the agency, but the CNIL seems poised to become a bit of a sticky wicket for Googzilla. After years of casual hand slapping, an era of RBF (really big fines) may be beginning. Google executives might find that CNIL can make a call to a fancy Parisian hotel and suggest that the Googlers be given rooms with a less salubrious location, tired decorations, and questionable plumbing. Mais oui! C’est domage.
On a positive note, Google is taking action itself. Privacy, security, fraud — well, sort of. “Google Sues Scammer for Puppy Fraud” reports:
The complaint … accuses Nche Noel of Cameroon of using a network of fake websites, Google Voice phone numbers, and Gmail accounts to pretend to sell purebred basset hound puppies to people online.
And the conduit for these alleged untoward actions? Google. Now how did Google’s smart software overlook fake websites, issue Google Voice numbers, and permit Gmail accounts used for the alleged bad puppy things? Nope. AARP connected with Googzilla. Yeah, smart software? Nope.
Stephen E Arnold, April 22, 2022
Useful TikTok History: An Honest Mirror
April 21, 2022
I rejected an example of TikTok psychological nudging for my upcoming National Cyber Crime Conference. The example focuses on what is called “wlw.” If you are not familiar with this three letter designation, you can test it in a number of apps popular with young people. One interesting application of the designator is YouTube. A young person can enter “wlw” and quickly be offered a playlist of “women loving women” videos. YouTube repackaging TikTok videos? No big deal.
The write up explains the logic of TikTok too:
“Chinese tech culture is not the enemy. Chinese tech culture is an honest mirror.”
The write up “TikTok’s Parent, ByteDance, Made Fake Accounts with Content Scraped from Instagram and Snapchat, Former Employees Say.” The essay does not talk about “wlw” or related videos. What it does explain is the building blocks of the TikTok mechanism for identifying magnetic content and how that magnetic content can be used to keep users engaged.
I spotted several interesting statements in the write up; to wit:
How to train for maximum American user appeal: “the scraped content was used to train ByteDance’s powerful “For You” personalization algorithm on US-based content so that it would better reflect the preferences of US users.”
The role of the mimic tactic: “an employee lays out the reasons that the company used “fake accounts” and scraped content; among them were that the accounts could be used to test which content performed best on the platform, and that current users could mimic the scraped content to improve their own popularity.”
Jazzing creators: “…the company manipulated like and video view counts displayed in the app to make creators believe they were more popular than they were.”
The influence of the US tech cowboy culture: “”The US public and US media often attribute unethical growth strategies practiced by Chinese tech companies to ‘Chinese tech culture,’ when very often those tactics are directly copied from FAANG companies…”
TikTok’s current posture: “While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community.”
Interesting insight into TikTok, an online service which some in Sillycon Valley think is innocuous, good clean fun, and not set up to nudge young people’s behavior. “Wlw”? No big deal, right? YouTube emulates TikTok; TikTok emulates American models. Synergistic indeed.
Stephen E Arnold, April 21, 2022
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