Google is turning evil

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Google is starting to violate its maxim of "Don't be evil" by adopting "real name" policies that harm marginalized minority groups who participate online, in particular transgender people:

http://www.zdnet.com/google-outed-me-7000025416/

Man, once google started censuring the internet in China, it destroyed that phony "don't do evil" image.

Do you mean "censoring"?

"Censure" means to express extreme disapproval.

"Censor" means to suppress factual knowledge and restrict the freedoms of press and speech.

I mean censoring, ie, they block every site that might be a threat to the "communist" rule.

Well ... it's either that, or Google does no business in Commieland at all.

They started around 2005. A couple of years ago there was a threat by google to stop censoring, but, afaik, they didn't stop. Maybe I'm wrong.

I try to keep my digital footprint so transparent to the point where I would not have to delete anything significant if problems did arise for whatever reason. Sure I am a bit paranoid, but not trusting companies with your information now is the same thing as not trusting companies with your information in the future. I don't know what policies are going to change and what my information is going to be grandfathered into through some legal bs.

Wow... ...what as*holes

will someone have to be executed in a country where transpeople are persecuted before google step up to the parapet and accept responsibility?

My heart goes out to the transgender woman driven to suicide after being outed by Google, as cited by the OP.

All of this to promote their stupid social network that absolutely nobody wanted.

As for Google, as far as they know, my name is "Butt". I'm sure they could find out my actual identity, but whatever.

And here I was, upset about my minor inconvenience in having to explain why I sometimes go by another name.

That they included a feature that had unintended consequences is not the issue. Sorry trans-folk, but it can be really hard for the rest of us to put ourselves in your shoes in every situation, we're gonna screw up sometimes. The issue is the way they ignored or dismissed the problem even after it was brought to their attention.

Well, don't use Google. I hardly ever use my Google account, search using DuckDuckGo, and often use sites other than You(GiveUsYourData)Tube (admittedly, because I'm looking for MLP: FIM episodes, and YouTube keeps taking them down).

Yahoo does the same crap in China. Altavista, maybe?

It's like trying to avoid buying products which were produced (totaly or partialy) through slavery, either in China, India, African countries, etc. It can't be done.

No excuses. Google puts on a big show saying they support diversity and are a leader in diversity, yet apparently they have no way of regularly getting input in order have diverse perspectives on changes that they make. I know they have trans people in their company and on their dev teams, as well as members of other groups who would be harmed by suddenly and unexpectedly having their real names revealed (see bottom of post for a link to a full list). Yet the members of those groups employed by the company gave no input. Why?

I think that Google's blaring from the rooftops about their devotion to diversity is all just a show, a way to make money, meaning that the people who run Google are hypocrites. Hypocrisy is evil, so all along Google has been violating their old maxim "Don't be evil."

Full list of groups that are harmed by "real names" policies:

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Who_ ... _policy%3F

Did Google Inc. violate any laws?

I don't know, but I have not seen anything to suggest that Google did. It still doesn't make it right, though, and belies the company's stated devotion to diversity.