Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After Internal Confrontation

Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by fipple on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @03:18AM (#18705216)

It would completely set up my family and children for life. I’d get to quit my job and spend all day with my kids. If some people I don’t know get fucked over for that, whatever. And that kind of thinking is why the world is such a wretched place. But I can’t say I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by pimmen on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @04:20AM (#18705413)

If one of your kids was disenfranchised by the government in an illegal way (maybe it was denied healthcare, education, protection of the law or something else that's fundamental) but because an engineer was paid 5-10 million you were powerless to stop it would you be as motivated to build something like that too after knowing what the damage feels like?

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by analognoise on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @06:09AM (#18705731)

No, but that isn't the same hypothetical.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by pimmen on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @07:36AM (#18706027)

I know, but it would expose a lack of empathy for the victims.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by analognoise on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @10:58AM (#18707460)

The original author was directly pointing out that his empathy didn't extend that far.

The US sells more weapons than anyone else - obviously a LOT of people make a living selling them.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by C1sc0cat on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @07:16AM (#18705946)

Depends if your host countries intelligence agency takes a dim view of what you are doing as happened with the Iraqi super gun.

And some countries play harder ball than the CIA and SIS

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by daemin on Wednesday December 19, 2018 @05:14AM (#18714614)

Why not offer it for them to buy as well?

If you're making this sort of software for one country or organisation then you're effectively a weapons trafficker so you might as well sell to all sides and reap in the profits.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by lostlogin on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @10:35AM (#18707186)

Would you xo it for $4.95 million?

It’s a very slippery slope.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by magpi3 on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @05:55AM (#18705703)

Relevant twilight zone

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button,_Button_(The_Twilight...

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by drugme on Wednesday December 19, 2018 @03:12PM (#18719094)

If some people I don’t know get fucked over for that, whatever.

And when your kids lost all respect for you after finding out what a shameless sell-out you are, well...

whatever.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by user2426679 on Wednesday December 19, 2018 @05:41PM (#18720558)

Please be honest and admit that this is solely about yourself; your kids having nothing to do with this except with respect to your own benefit. Even Walter White "did everything for his family."

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by ionised on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @05:29AM (#18705615)

> It would completely set up my family and children for life.

This isn't as good an excuse as you think it is.

You might want to ask yourself if there is anything you believe in or care about beyond your own genetic code.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by chippy on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @06:25AM (#18705795)

One could imagine him thinking about him taking the job as a sacrifice. He will sacrifice his morals and what he cares about for the security of his family and children. He knows that he will sell his soul and be crushed, but he also knows that his family will be okay.

It's one of the reasons suicide bombers blow themselves up too.

But, as in this case he will live and it ignores the lasting psychological damage on those around them - becoming malevolent will affect the people around, and not in a good way.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by AnIdiotOnTheNet on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @09:54AM (#18706744)

> but he also knows that his family will be okay.

Not really. By succumbing to this temptation he's contributing to creating a worse future for everyone, including his children and their children.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by tzakrajs on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @10:00PM (#18712660)

Yes, the commenter we are addressing is a trash bag of a human being and wants us to know because they have anonymity. We don’t need to deep dive further.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by bufferoverflow on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @08:00AM (#18706119)

His soul will not necessarily be crushed. Think about it, most of us (well paid IT peoples) could easily spend 10-20% of our income to save some random people across the world from certain death by hunger/thirst/lack of basic meds or infrastructure. Each of us could be literally saving 10-100 people, but almost none of us do. I know I don't. Does it make me a shitty person? Yes. Does it crush me? No. I don't think about the poor dying people most of the time.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by fipple on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @01:43PM (#18709273)

I don’t think it’s an excuse. I’m admitting the ways in which I am a bad person in a way I can only do on a web site not associates with my real name.

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Re:Google’s Secret China Project “Effectively Ended” After I... by p_b_r on Tuesday December 18, 2018 @10:15PM (#18712722)

More importantly, why is having an ostrich jacket relevant? I don't have a pony either.

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