For all the conspiracy theorists and people crying "who will they go after next": All that's happening here is a non-profit is buying ads for common ISIS-related search terms and displaying anti-ISIS advertisements. You know, exactly like millions of people use Google ads for politics, selling things, etc. They're even getting external funding from donors to buy the ads. It astounds me that anyone could be against this. How are ads ok for selling your shitty SaaS product but they are not ok for convincing people not to murder one another?
In my humble opinion, this is a bad idea. ISIS is an ephemeral problem in the world. One does not simply become a mujahideen convert from a YouTube session. More often than not, a lot of these guys and girls have lingering emotional baggage due to family life, education, their personal measure of success in life (or lack thereof), etc. What would impress me is if Google attacked the source of the problem once a for all. For ISIS to be eradicated, there has to be a fundamental paradigm shift in the way these people see the world. That means providing funds for schooling, education, access to internet and more importantly, free access to information.<p>Attempting to shape information into one that fits a certain narrative is what gave birth to ISIS. Why makes Jigsaw think this would work?
I'd imagine all these pro-privacy guys cheering right now, shouting "we told you where this is going!" if only it wouldn't be so terrifying and not funny at all. First they collect your personal data to show you ads, and people don't mind, because why not? Then they monopolize the market more and more, and basically all your data ends up in their hands, making them know you literally better than yourself do (as you don't normally quantify your life and are not watching over yourself really well). And people don't mind again, because "I have nothing to hide". Then they are officially profiling their clients to use the data for political purposes. First this might be ads, then some more. And people won't mind again, because it's unacceptable for USA citizen not to hate ISIS (but it doesn't really matter what is the most iconic black sheep at the moment). Then (at the moment, actually, but just in China[1] for now) the most used social network is running "citizen loyalty bonus-points" program. And people are accepting still, because it's all so cool and nice and what not.<p>And even though it might seem terrifying to some, I don't think "the people" will ever actually regret this: the "acceptable norm" will just become narrower and narrower, and everything else will be treated as a criminal offense, a sickness that must be cured.<p>It makes me think that this is just how life goes, the natural way an organism evolves. But the thought of it makes me feel sick anyway.<p>[1] - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHcTKWiZ8sI" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHcTKWiZ8sI</a>
Information control is an extremely important aspect of real power, including military success. Most will not believe me, but I will say it anyway: the popular media, even in the United States, is full of war propaganda (in the traditional sense).<p>Google has a direct tap into minds via search. This is problematic because their virtual monopoly means they dominate information control and shaping. This means Google can shape reality and is the most powerful war propaganda tool ever deployed. Of course it is also generally indispensible in other ways, which is the problem.
This seems to be just one more instance of ISIS providing a very valuable service to western powers. In this case giving a "sympathetic" target for testing out search based propaganda/information switching techniques. No one could argue that this plan is bad or dangerous. They are stopping ISIS! But wait till you search for info on Ed Snowden and get "counter" articles shoved down your throat. And then the FBI shows up.
It really is interesting how many objectives ISIS has helped advance for US powers and how difficult it has been for us to actually hit one of their camps with a missle. Russians seem to be able to do it no problem, but then they have different global agendas from us.
I may be reading unwritten lines, but is Google selling its advertising platform to the US Government as a way to show targeted people anti-ISIS messaging?
I don't actually mind using any method to fight ISIS or other terror groups, but the part that gets me is fighting them in one place and using them to further our goals in another place.<p>I don't understand that.
When can we start seeing ads targeting Americans with links to the disastrous effects of "regime changes" and invasion of countries to effect "democratic change"?
Honestly, such projects keep me shivering at night. This time it is ISIS, next time it is an anti-google activist group, a political movement or what ever. If anyone should have such power, it should be the government and not a private actor. Even then it is very brave new world like. And then they even extend it to giving notice of persons who might be sympesizing with ISIS: thoughtcrime, more or less. I am avare that almost everybody is doing similar things on the net but still, this is alarming
This is good. I hope Google puts this book (which the author has made freely available now) [1] also in their results.<p>This way, if a relatively highly educated person (e.g. a person with university degree) searches something related to ISIS, gets a chance to read this eye-opening book about the roots of the evil ideology of Islam, which is what ISIS is based on.<p>More important thing to note here is that with Islam we are facing similar problems as the problems faced by the Europeans during the times of Copernicus, Bruno, Galileo when there was a reign of the church and Bible through kings. Fortunately and due to the enormous sacrifices and efforts made by many humans at that time, the west has successfully defeated the vice regime of Christianity and Church [2].<p>So we must understand that currently the biggest threat to the western freedom loving society is from the vicious ideology of Islam which is at crossroads with the modern liberal western civilized world. There is a great threat also from the pseudo-liberals who are practicing double standards when it comes to the issue of critical study of Islam. These pseudo-liberal Islam apologists (whether bought and paid for or not) are hunting down any thoughtful and legitimate criticism of Islam, its prophet Muhammad and its scriptures from the public discourses. They are using various types of pressure tactics for this. For example, they are labeling any criticism of Islam as racist attacks on Muslims or as Islamophobia or as right wing acts. The freedom lovers, liberals and humanists must understand this threat posed by the vicious ideology of mainstream Islam. These views by Bill Maher and Sam Harris may help understand this point in a better way. [3], [4], [5]<p>Should we be against Muslims? No, we must distinguish between Islam as ideology and Muslims as victims of this vicious ideology.<p>In fact, it should be noted that the fight must be with Islam and not with general Muslim population and that the fight must be on the ideological front.<p>[1] <a href="http://www.faithfreedom.org/understanding-muhammad-free-download/" rel="nofollow">http://www.faithfreedom.org/understanding-muhammad-free-down...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_and_state_in_medieval_Europe" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_and_state_in_medieval_E...</a><p>[3] <a href="https://www.samharris.org/islam" rel="nofollow">https://www.samharris.org/islam</a><p>[4] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL8rZTuGfZo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL8rZTuGfZo</a><p>[5] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46nh8_BK7ok" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46nh8_BK7ok</a>