[grc] Fwd: Google’s attack on progressives

[al davis]

On Sun, 2 May 2021 17:32:23 -0500
using a Mac
Spencer Graves via grc <grc at maillist.peak.org> wrote:
> Google is messing with your inbox, and it’s threatening our work.


You finally noticed!

In fairness, it's not just Google.  It's Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon,
hotmail, Zoom, Facebook, Apple, and many others.

We all need to remember that the choice of what products and services
to use, buy, and recommend always has a social and political impact.
What that impact is may not be obvious at first look.

You may hear or read in the news about some big company and their
political connections, and be tempted to switch to their biggest
competitor, not realizing that the other big company may be even worse.

In this case, it is more innocent than it appears to be, in one way,
more scary than it appears to be, in another.

The "messing with your inbox" that you see is just badly designed spam
filtering run amok.  Spam filtering is crazy, complex, and political.
People demand it, then complain when it doesn't work perfectly.  In
this case, that's all it is.  I really don't think Google is prejudiced
against Bernie.  If big tech is prejudiced against anything, it's *us*.

Blurring the specifics, most of what Spencer's forwarded email says is
true, and important.  I say most, because demandprogress.org is a bit
hypocritical.  I would have more confidence if they used something
other than Google for their email.

If you don't like Google (or any other company that's part of big
tech), don't use it.  Maybe run your own mail server.  Maybe find a
provider that is friendly to the cause.  Maybe grassroots radio
should support grassroots tech.  Maybe we should savor home grown tech
like we do home grown food, and home grown media.  Where you buy your
tech is as political as where you buy your food.

If you do like big tech, and choose to use it or even promote it,
that's your choice, but please realize the politics of your choice.

To David D-W .....  This is on topic for this list.  This is a radio
issue.  The list is not just about programming.