NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Channeling Spock: Obama & Gas Prices - Google & Privacy
Channeling Spock: Obama & Gas Prices - Google & Privacy
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000939.html
Despite my time spent in the "Star Trek" production universe many
years ago, by most standards today I'm not a really hard-core Trekkie,
or Trekker, or whatever the word is these days for the serious Trek
convention fans.
But as I've noted in the past, I do sometimes find myself feeling
somewhat Spock-like irritation at utterly illogical arguments being
promoted regarding important issues.
I was reminded of this again a few days ago, when I saw recent footage
of a FOX News reporter (at a presidential press conference) suggesting
to the President that Obama actually wanted gasoline prices to be
going up now, since this would (according to the reporter) support an
alternative fuel agenda.
Obama's exasperation at this "question" was nearly palpable, and he
replied with a question of his own, "Just from a political
perspective, do you think the President of the United States going
into re-election wants gas prices to go up higher? Is that -- is
there anybody here who thinks that makes a lot of sense?"
Obviously the FOX reporter's assertion made no sense whatsoever, and
was essentially political pandering to his audience, whom he
presumably feels are mainly composed of idiots who would believe his
outlandish contention.
But this sort of disingenuous accusations game isn't restricted to the
traditional political realm -- it plays out in the tech world as well.
Case in point, the messages still appearing daily in my inbox,
accusing Google of nefarious anti-privacy cookie subterfuge.
I blew apart those nonsensical arguments last month in "Google,
Safari, and a Clamor of Cookie Confusion" ( http://j.mp/xGZRcT ), but
in the name of logic I'm going to emphasize one aspect again
here and now.
Just as it would be irrational for a president to want higher gas
prices going into an election, what possible sense would it make for
Google to purposely use cookies in ways to (supposedly "secretly")
violate their users' privacy?
Gas prices aren't hidden from observers -- neither are cookie
behaviors!
Presidents can be replaced at elections. Search engines can be
replaced by users with a single mouse click over to a competitor.
And just as it's pretty clear that FOX News has political motives for
making their inane suggestions about gasoline prices, it's also
painfully obvious that there are forces (in furtherance of their own
motives) all too willing to sow FUD -- Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt --
about Google, despite the utterly illogical nature of such assertions
in the light of even a minuscule bit of reasoning.
It perfectly proper for disagreements to arise regarding political
issues, Internet issues, and pretty much anything else.
But differences of opinion should not be an excuse for absurd
remonstrations, regardless of their motives. They serve only to blur
and confuse, and while for some adherents of this approach these are
their obvious goals, it would serve you humans well to reject such
fallacious arguments, and to try apply at least a semblance of logic
to these issues.
Live long and prosper.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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